Starless Sky sequel to Moon Girl - COMPLETED
by Rayvenious
Summary: After having spend the summer with the Cullens, in LA and with Charlie; Melody gets back to Forks High School. it's a brand new year full of unexpected surprises and things you'd never thought were existing.After a small incident, things go wrong - Bella gets depressive and Melody runs away. But what happens if the past all comes flooding back? is there danger lurking?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

I'd never thought that a moment like this would measure me. It was a dream, but the biggest nightmare all the same.

Finally getting the love I wanted , making me sink in the deepest of darkness, I struggled to stay above the water, not drowning.

Another hit of the pain struck me, making me cry out as my brother held me in his arms in an attempt to soothe me.

If someone asked me that if I could take the hands in time, I would do it differently?

No.

Everything that led to this, today, this moment was painful. But it was worth it, more than worth it even.

No, I wouldn't have done it any other way, but I wished he was here with me. that he would hold my hand.

But he wasn't. He wouldn't.

The front door banged open and my sisters rushed into the room, taking matters in their experienced hands.

I was going to be fine. _We_ were going to be fine.

And that was all that mattered.

At least for now.


	2. 1 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: hi! this is the first chapter, but it's a little short still [I have a bunch of oyher story to keep up with!] I'm also writing very slowly; my right wrist, which means my writing hand, is broken..." I'm such a klutz! **  
**I hope u like the start! **  
**And: twilight is all Stephenie Meyer but the Moon Girl Saga is mostly mine. I just like messing with her characters! **

**And...any ideas on how old I am and where I'm from? curious about your ideas!**

* * *

I opened my eyes, blinking a few times, as the bright light of the full moon shone into my bedroom. This was my usual time for waking up after four hours of sleep.  
I did sleep well, but as lots of other nights, I had a strange dream.

I was in a maze, searching for the right path to take, tripping over roots from huge trees. As I finally neared the exit, I fell down from a cliff, landing on my feet in the end.  
Out of nowhere there'd been, a lion who started talking to me about my future. He wore those old grandpa glasses.  
I ran away from the animal, crashing from the high once again until I woke up on the concrete of the hospital floors.  
A few meters away from me, was Adam. He was talking to a little girl with long reddish-brown hair. She looked at me with her blazing golden eyes before she quickly stood in front of me, smiling.  
We looked at each other and suddenly we were in some kind of candy paradise. There were strawberry trees, ice-cream streams and cotton candy clouds in the pinkish air.  
The little girl tugged me with her until we reached another cliff. The water underneath was wild and dangerous. The girl pointed enthusiastically to the other side.  
Edward.

After that I woke up. it was so weird – who was this little girl and why did we walk through cotton-candy-wonderland? And what had Edward to do with it?

I glanced at my alarm clock standing on my bedside table. It was half past five in the morning on the twenty-sixth of November.  
It was my birthday.

I've always liked birthdays – getting presents, my family around and the great amount of cake of course.  
This year was going to be different, though. Bella, my half-sister, and I were born on the same day and we would celebrate it together for the first time in our lives.

I got out from under the warm duvet and stretched. I still had an hour to kill, so I went to grab a book from the shelf to read.  
I really tried to read the words, the pages, but the memories from the summer always came flooding back to me.


	3. 2 -- Melody Swan

After I revalidated from the James incident, we all made sure to spend a lot of time together. We went swimming,shopping, picnicking even though only Bella and I were the ones to eat. The weather had been great, even for Forks, but we had to stay out of the spotlight a bit.  
Those sunny days were not really good for my favorite vampires.  
It was amazing to see the effect the sunlight had on them. Seeing Edward in his swim trunks, completely soaked through with water was an amazing sight too.

Over the months Edward and I had grown a lot closer. Bella went a lot to La Push to spend her time with Jacob Black. They had built a friendship also, even though the Cullens didn't like it. something I still needed to find out, why they did.  
Every time Bella left, Edward would stand on the curb and we'd watch movies, make crazy pictures or just talk and laugh a lot.  
Hugging each other had become something very normal for us and I loved it. I loved the feel of his strong arms aroundme, pulling me to his muscled chest.

I'd also found out that my love for Edward had gotten a greater addition – lust.  
Every touch, even if it was so innocent, would set my skin on fire, making me blush madly. Luckily for me, I blushed on a regular basis so no one would notice why it really was happening. Except for Jasper of course. It surprised me though, that he never once asked me about it. he just closed his mind from everyone and went on with what he was doing.

I've been to LA for two weeks, making up a bit for lost time. It was awesome to be on a real beach again and actually being able to sunbathe. It was even nice to be able to wear jeans shorts, tops and bikinis. I didn't wore bikinis here – they would see my scars. In Los Angeles I was used to that, people knew part of the story. Not the whole truth of course.

The alarm went off, startling me a bit. It was time to get ready for school and I was extremely positive, that Alice was going to make this one hell of a day.

After my usual morning shower, I hesitated about what to do with my hair. It was straightened tied up in a knot every day. But today was my birthday, so I wanted it loose – like it used to be.  
I remember thinking, 'fuck it' and blowing the long curls dry, letting it fall naturally down my shoulders. I felt a little like myself again. I applied a bit of natural looking makeup on my face.  
On my way to my room, I came across Bella, who was all happy, dressed in something 'special'.  
I kept it on jeans, a cream colored A-line chiffon blouse with slightly puffed sleeves and my brown ankle-high HUB boots. My silver tag hung proudly around my neck and the Cullen Crest bracelet on my wrist.  
I packed my bag and went down the stairs for breakfast before I would go to school.

"Happy Birthday, Melody!" Bella enthused. I was actually surprised she was particularly nice to me.  
"Happy Birthday to you too, Bella." I said back at a normal tone, nodding into her direction.

Our sister-relationship hadn't gotten any better during the summer. She kept blaming me for the lacks in her relationship with Edward and that Alice and Rosalie didn't like her.  
If it were her choice everything would me my fault.

"Ah, My beautiful girls! Happy Birthday!" Charlie's gruff, but happy voice sounded through the kitchen. He gave us both a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He'd made breakfast for today and together we enjoyed the meal.  
After having eaten, Charlie handed us our presents. We both got a photo camera and a scrapbook so we could paste the photos of our school year in it.

"Thanks Dad. It's great!"


	4. 3 -- Melody Swan

Charlie left for work and Bella and I threw on our jackets to leave for Forks High School. Outside, she went for the truck, while I took out the keys from my very own vehicle.  
During the summer, Charlie got me a car – he said it would be a lot easier for us this way. I was head over heels in love with the black Fiat cinqucento he gave me. it was small, smooth and totally me.  
I opened the door, threw my back on the passenger seat and waited until Bella turned out of the driveway, before doing the same.

I drove the familiar way, listening to the radio on the early November morning. I liked my life this way – sure, it would be even better if I had my family here and it was me standing next to Edward in those family portraits Esmé hung in the living room, but still.

I turned in upon the school parking lot and parked my precious little car next to Rose's M3.

Noting that the coast was clear, I sneakily opened the door, feeling kind of smug – no Alice to be seen! I grabbed my bag, locked the car and wanted to head to my group when suddenly, someone stood in front of me, blocking my way.  
"Hi Birthday Girl!"  
I shrieked of course….  
"Holy fuck! Alice!" I growled as a warning. She really needed to stop that – she was getting better at keeping me out of her thoughts.  
Alice giggled, "Sorry Baby Swan, but truly – you should've seen your face looking al smug that you avoided me!" she enthused grinning like a maniac. I pinched the bridge of my nose.  
"You're such an energy-ball Alice." I said in a hopeless tone.  
"Yep! But you love your best friend! Oh well,…your girly best friend, that is. There's your man." She nodded, smirking.

I followed the direction her head had taken and smiled, then blushed and felt my heart beat wildly upon seeing him. it was like this every day.  
He neared us, smiling brighter with every second while I could see the mischievous and amusement shining in his topaz eyes.  
It wasn't like I hated birthday's but it weren't my favorites either.

"Hey Tiny Princess!" His cold arms were around me in a flash and I immediately relaxed against his chest. He really seemed to like his new nick name for me a lot.  
If anyone else would call me that I already would've snapped ones neck.  
But when Edward said it, my heart and face, warmed up. It was cute.  
"Happy birthday." He said, smirking and clapping my shoulder lightly in a friendly manner. I rolled my eyes as the flush sunk away from my cheeks.  
"I think I should say thanks." I replied, grinning slyly. Alice and Edward both chuckled.  
"Wow! You're eighteen! It's so sweet that you still look like a little girl!" Alice gushed as we started walking towards the school building.

Although a few of them now, knew I wasn't completely human, they weren't aware of the fact that I didn't really age anymore either. Little did Alice know that I officially got sixteen but wouldn't get much older than fifteen.

The other's had already gone inside for their own classes and Bella had left to jump her friends around their necks. A few other girls from my class had joined their 'army' – they were with ix now.

Isabella Swan – my dearest sister. She may have Edward in her claws, but sooner or later her lies will surface. She convinced Edward that she was a virgin, just like him, and that she truly loved him and his family. She actually just wants to be the first to get into his pants, just like she did with lots of other guys from Phoenix. As long as Edward wouldn't give in and have sex with her, she preferred to avoid his presence, which explains her visits to La Push.

Jessica Stanley – the jealous type that always wanted to know everything, tried to use Bella to get attention from Edward and is thinking constantly about how good everyone is looking before she burns them all down.

Lauren Mallory – suffers from superiority. She thinks she's the best at everything, that she can get every guy she wants and that her parents will make sure every cost is ensured.

Angela Weber – changed into and ultimate shrew thanks to the others. During summer she cut off her long black hair – now it's above her shoulders, with a blue dip-dye.

Tiffany Crew – her long, platinum blonde hair was almost white making her blue eyes look creepy. She wore everything in pink and even let her car be a sufferer from her obsession. Every time Lauren would gossip about someone, she'd say, 'yeah...it's true, I know right!'.

Cammie Cast – she's just the perfect example of a shallow-brained, blonde, fake playboy model. She likes telling her 'wild' stories to the bunch of sluts. Really they just were – there was no denying in it.

"Oh! Melody, you can use your new photo camera tonight! We are giving you both a party!" Alice gushed happily. I knew it.  
I began protesting, hearing Edward sigh before he interrupted me.  
"Melody…please? Just..do you know when it was the last time one of us had a real birthday?" he asked me in a serious, slightly sad tone. I frowned looking up at him.  
"That was in 1935 – Emmett's last birthday." He explained, burying his hands in the pockets of his jeans. I suddenly felt bad. If that was the real last birthday party they'd celebrating, it was pretty logic that they wanted to do this. So I sighed deeply once and let them have their fun.

"Yay! It's going to be so much fun! I already left your dress for tonight in your room! I can hardly wait! See you at seven!" she squealed before running to Jasper who was waiting for her.  
Damn-it! if Jasper hadn't used his powers on me, I wouldn't have agreed at all so soon.  
I glared at him and he smiled devilishly.  
"Yeah, well, Happy…Never mind," he said before Alice tugged him with her to their English class. I stood there, my mouth slightly agape as a huff of irritation escaped. Edward slung his arm around my small shoulders, chuckling. Just at that moment Bella joined us. Edward had changed his schedule to share classes with us – Bella and I shared every class now. Awesome.

"You can't trust vampires, trust me." he simply said trying to hide his laughter, but the hint of a smile didn't go unnoticed. As we heard Bella huff out a breath and heard her thoughts, his arm immediately left me, not touching me anymore.

_'You can't trust slutty sisters either. Why is she always with him!?'_


	5. 4 -- Melody Swan

During English class, we watched Romeo and Julia. I'd already seen it before a lot, lip-synching with the famous sections they spoke. At some point my tear ducts couldn't hold it any longer. Secretly I wished Edward would say those words to me before he'd kiss me into unconscious. That would be really nice birthday present. I already imagined him only in his jeans, wet from the rain and holding a rose in his hands. Utter perfection.

When I entered the cafeteria after having dried my eyes and made sure the blotchy redness was gone, I made a straight line for the Cullen table – I was part of that now. sometimes it felt like the crest was some kind of password to get there.  
"Hey birthday lady! How's everything going?" Rose asked me, smiling her perfect toothpaste smile at me. I blushed, making Emmett giggle – really giggle.  
"Fine. I just…I'm not a huge fan of birthday's that's it." I told her. She frowned.  
"Why not?"

I sighed, "Well, in LA it was always so…crowded and lonely. I never really liked that part. The real party part I mean. I did like the mornings and afternoons. I did the same every single year.  
"I would wake up, and eat the delicious pancakes with sugar and cream butter Layla would make for me. Then I'd go to school with my cousins, " I explained. They all got interesting looks on their beautiful faces as I told them the story.  
"After noon, my sisters always had some kind of surprise for me, but not something like a real wrapped in paper gift – we would go somewhere or do something. Last year for example they took me out shopping and after that Skye took me to the studio and completely styled me for a photo shoot. It was really awesome." I smiled, staring into nothing as I remembered the day.  
My friends were quiet for a while, all taking it in an trying to imagine how that'd be like.  
"Well, I guess we should do something like that next year?" Alice questioned, arching an eyebrow. I nodded.  
"Sure, but for today, you'll get what you want." I grinned half-heartedly. This year I was doing this for them – I had a feeling I needed too.

"God, Edward! I want to do something special this afternoon! I don't want to watch a boring movie with you, I turned nineteen for God's sake!" I heard Bella grouse at her all too caring boyfriend. Now, however, his facial expression stood like he was about to snap and rip her head off. how I wished I was able to read his mind right now.  
"What do you want then?" he almost growled at her, his jaws snapped together in utter self-control. His family thought it was ridiculous and dangerous for Bella – I however, thought it was sexy.  
My hormones were complicit in these moments.

Bella jutted her chin forward, trying to challenge the almost century-old vampire. I couldn't help but snort at that, earning six pairs of eyes in my direction all with a hint of a smile at the corners of their lips. Even Edward's couldn't hold his expression, knowing exactly why I'd made the snorting sound.  
"You know what, Edward?" Bella spit out his name when she saw him looking in my direction, "go and irritate my sister – I'm hanging out with my friends this afternoon." She snarled before rushing out of the cafeteria, leaving the tortured guy behind, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
"See you at the party tonight!" she yelled from over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes – couldn't she be more obvious? Her behavior to Edward and frequent visits to La Push often got me wondering what she was actually doing there. I guess I didn't really want the details if they were true.


	6. 5 -- Melody Swan

The bell rang, letting all students know it was time for another round of dreadful and mostly boring classes. History, though had become one of my favorites thanks to Jasper. During the time I spent at the Cullen household, watching movies or getting mani-pedi's with Alice and rose, I noted that he was really into history. I'd asked him how he was changed once but he said that it wasn't the right time to tell me that. He did talk and study about history and wars a lot. Like he'd been there, which he possibly was. it was fascinating to watch how he told things, which made me starting to find history a cool subject. It was even more awesome that I shared it with Jasper, who sometimes made fun of the teacher when she'd say something entirely wrong.

"Melody?" I turned around upon hearing my name from the one man I couldn't read. his smile was a bit apologetic.  
"Do you have plans for this afternoon?" Edward asked, unsure. I smiled reassuringly at him.  
"No, I was planning to just hang out a bit before I'd go to the party at your house." I said as we left the cafeteria.  
"Do you..mind if we hang out together? Bella wants to go out with her friends so I'm alone this afternoon." Edward said a bit wary. I didn't understand him – he always seemed to change his mind so often. As if he wasn't able to make a choice.  
"No of course not! We won't be lonely that way," I chuckled as he went along with me. Edward let me know he would get to Charlie's house right after he'd dropped Alice and Rose off at home. After that, we parted ways – he went to Spanish while I hurried to find Jasper at the history buildings.

Everyone was already seated as I entered the room, getting an annoyed glance from Mrs. Becker. I sat down next to an amused looking Jasper. Mrs. Becker started with her story about the second world war. When I'd grabbed my books, opened them and sat back in my chair I let out a huge sigh. Jasper chuckled at me.  
I gave him a questioning look, "What's so funny?" I whispered lowly.  
"I think she's not even aware of the fact she's mostly telling all the story wrong. You should be glad you have me to tell the right ones, or you'll get an F for your test." He snickered gleefully. It was nice to see Jasper act like this – he'd always been an out stander in his family.

After an hour of class, we left the room and went to our own last two classes of the day. Of course, PE was my favorite of the day – it was awesome to hit Mike Newton with a racket again.  
Luckily, coach Clapp didn't let me play sports when it would be too dangerous. He did think it was funny though, to see me hit Newton on his head all by accident.  
Well, everyone has a different taste of humor?

When he finally called that we were done for the day, everyone rushed to the dressing rooms. I slowly shuffled after them, walking to my spot in the back while other girls were chatting enthusiastically and showing each other their underwear. I always thought that was quite weird.  
Silently, I redressed myself in my regular clothes. While dressing for gym and otherwise, I always made sure no one saw my tattoos – it's not like I was ashamed of them, I just didn't want to tell the stories.

While I was in LA, Layla came to the idea to get another one – for us as sisters. Skye and I thought it was a great idea so we convinced Scarlett she should do it too. after a whining at her for three days, she agreed, but only if hers was out of the spot, so to speak. Her boss at the hospital wouldn't appreciate it, if she'd have a tattoo that would be seen by her patients. So when we knew what design we wanted, we headed to our 'usual' tattoo artist, Kayleigh, and got our new body-art done.  
After a few hours, we stepped out of the shop, all big grins on our still red faces. Getting a tattoo wasn't that bad, but it wasn't very pleasurable either.  
Unconsciously, while slinging my bag over my shoulder, I rubbed the spot where the elegant 'infinity' sign was drawn on my right breast, closest to my still beating heart. Scarlett got hers on her ribcage, beneath her breast. It wouldn't be showing, but still be close to her heart, just like ours.  
I got four now – the symbol of my name, the quote on the underside of my upper arm, the words that covered my lightning scars on my waist and now the infinity sign.


	7. 6 -- Melody Swan

After having dropped unnecessary books in my locker, I made my way outside. Edward had already left to drop off his siblings at the Cullen Estate and Bella had left with her friends to go shopping in Port Angeles. she said she'd be back in time for our birthday party.  
I drove home, surprisingly jumpy. I had a feeling something wasn't right, and I couldn't quite place the finger on it. Perhaps it was just that I was nervous for the party.  
Once inside, I called Charlie to tell him Bella and I wouldn't be home tonight, but of course he already knew. Esmé had called him earlier today. While I was preparing myself a mug of hot chocolate, I heard the three curt knocks rasping on the front door.

"The door's open!" I said, knowing he'd hear me anyway. Edward got in and shrugged out his coat, hanging it on the peg. Drops of water, fresh from the rain outside hung in his wild hair, making him even look better. Moments like this, when we were alone always got me wound up with anticipation. Like I was expecting something, I'd never get.  
"You know, we all know I won't kill you, but I could've been some serial killer and you just let me in." Edward noted, his voice slightly raised from surprise. I pondered on that for a moment. I couldn't really say, 'yeah, well, you're the only one I can't read so I was certain it was you. Oh, and your smell by the way, is getting pretty familiar with me too.'  
"Oh, well, I was expecting you and you always knock three times." I sputtered, more suggesting than actually pretending it was the truth. Edward rolled his eyes and popped on the couch next to me. he tapped my shoulder, wanting me to snuggle against him and I complied. I'd never turn down the opportunity of free hugs, mind you.  
I pressed play on the remote control and snickered at Edward's sigh.  
"Seriously? We're watching the Hangover, again?" he complained. We'd seen it five times already. maybe more. I giggled, feigning innocence.  
"Edward! it's the Hangover part two! You haven't seen that one yet, I'm sure!" I enthused, watching at the screen as the intro music started to play.  
Edward laughed softly, "you're so different." he simply said, ruffling my hair once, making me slap his arm softly. Not that he'd feel any of that. Not that I was using my full strength either.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning, pausing the movie before it actually began. He seemed to hesitate for a minute clearly not expecting I'd ask about it further. His lips moved apart a few times, like he wanted to say something, but no sound eluded. I impatiently waited for his answer.  
"Well, let's look at you first – you're natural, not plastered with all kinds of makeup. You're just casual, not a fake. And the way you act. You don't really seem like the party animal to me. you like reading deep literature and romantic poetry while other girls prefer to read gossip magazines." He explained, a crease in his brow. I wanted to smooth it away with a kiss. I wasn't sure if I should take his words as a compliment.  
He seemed to notice my obvious distress, "it's not that you're plain," he hastily added, then he mumbled something that sounded like, "far from actually, unfortunately."

"What was that?" I wanted to know out of insecurity.  
His face was slightly alarmed, quickly replaced by his cold 'liar' mask as I called it. his way to keep up the façade and stay away from revealing the truth. It was something he'd done from the beginning.  
"Nothing." He said. Of course not. I sighed, before pressing the play button on the remote.  
We watched for a half an hour in silence. I hated the bad tension between us. As funny as the movie was, we didn't laugh. Maybe a chuckle now and then. His arm wasn't around me anymore and his face, where I'd sometimes steal a glance from, stood distant and pained.  
Was I really that strange, even to a vampire?  
Suddenly the moving screen stopped. I refused to look to my right.  
"Melody, I didn't mean it like that." He started his voice miserable. I kept staring in front me, memories flooding back. I knew Edward would never do that, but the words Fiorenza used before she attempted to end me and during my life as a toddler, were flowing through my head. Bombarding me with her hatred and words that cut through me like knives. My breathing hitched.  
"No, Edward it's okay. You're right. It's not like haven't heard it before." I said on auto-pilot. I wasn't thinking straight anymore. a tear left its duct, falling on my rosy red cheek. My hands started shaking and Edward arms surrounded me immediately.

"Melody! That's not true! Don't you dare to ever, ever think that again!" he stated firmly, his voice showing anger as I imagined his eyes standing cold as ice.  
I hiccupped once, trying to push away the unpleasant memories as he gently stroked my cheek and hand with his thumbs. I needed him like this – to be with me when I couldn't stand it on my own.  
He let me sob for a few minutes, drying my shed tears and saying soothing words, apologizing. When I sighed, ending my panic attack a cold finger pushed my chin up high to meet his face. His golden-honey eyes were warm and soft now as a small but sad smile covered his lips. he gingerly drew my hair from my forehead and kissed the skin there once. Something he rarely did.  
"Do you have any clue, about how much you mean to me? How special you are?"he began, still the smoldering look in his eyes. I tried not to sink away at his words and didn't reply.

"You are different in a good way, Melody. You're smart, you're funny, you're pretty and so trusting. It's awesome how you can turn Emmett's jokes down sometimes." He chuckled shaking his head while I felt the pad of his soft thumb gently following the curve of my cupid-bow. I sat frozen in front of him, my face reddening deeply.  
"You are truly amazing, Melody, never, ever doubt that!" he ushered softly, smiling crookedly. We sat there just looking at each when he slowly, almost unnoticed, closed the gap between us. my breaths came out in strong bursts. Was this right? Should I just give in? How does this work? Where are my over-sexual siblings if you need them to explain!?

Then, his lips briefly, brushed over mine, like a butterflies touch. He backed away a bit, gripping my neck with his hand that had been caressing my cheek and slowly getting back to me.  
My face burned with anticipation of what might happen. some people had told me, that the electricity beforehand was sometimes even better than the kiss itself.

When Edward's cold lips barely touched mine again, we heard the front door swing open, hitting the wall behind it.


	8. 7 -- Melody Swan

We looked each other in the eyes. There was so much written there – pain, frustration, awe, disbelief, shock and something else I couldn't name.  
We broke apart quickly, pretending nothing had happened, while I nervously fidgeted with the hem of my blouse. My God, he almost kissed me!  
"Hey! We're back earlier. Tiffany felt sick. Anyway, Melody what are we having for dinner? I mean, god, I hope no fast-food, like, again? Seriously I don't know how Charlie manages to live on that." Bella came walking into the living room, plopping down on the couch between us. unconsciously, we both had moved to each end side of the couch.

"Hey baby! What are you watching? Do you know what I bought? For you?" she whispered seductively. I already knew. I didn't want to, but her mind was busy with that one thing again.  
Getting him into her bed.  
"Uhm..Bella – "Edward started, but her jealous and impatient lips pushed onto his. My stomach rolled and the tears threatened to fall again. I pushed myself of from the couch and ran in the direction of the stairs.  
"Hey! Where are you going?" Bella called after me in a sick sweet voice.  
"I'm getting ready for the party. Alice is expecting me at seven." I said, my voice breaking at the end, before running up the stairs.

I opened the door to my bedroom and slammed it close behind me, aware of the fact they'd hear it downstairs. I stumbled to the bed and let myself fall on it, not able to hide my conflicted feelings.  
I'd been so good at hiding it, stocking it away and try to never look at it again. for months I'd tried to not even think about the way I felt. It hurt, but I managed it that way.  
And now everything had turned again. my feelings for Edward were in front of my mind in a flash. I thought about him again, like I used to. Of course, the desirous feelings never left. But those three little words that meant the world had.  
I was still in _love_ with him.

I huge sob racked through my chest as I gasped for air, shielding my eyes from the outside world, like it was a way to protect myself.  
He'd broken through my shield like it was nothing. Like it was soft butter he only had to heat down to a soft, flowing liquid. And he'd only briefly kissed me.  
My emotions were in war all over again, just like they did when I'd first met them.  
I sighed deeply once, brushing the tears away with my hand.  
I sat there for a while, rocking myself and not wanting to think about it. as I glanced at the clock, I sighed. If I wanted to be on time for the party, I needed to get dressed. I grabbed the package that Alice had left for me and a towel. Just as I wanted to o for the bathroom, a whiff of air blew my hair in my face. I didn't turn around to know who it was.

He sighed when I still hadn't moved or said a thing, "Melody can we talk about what just – "  
I knew what he wanted to say, no mindreading needed for that, but cut him off.  
"No, don't. Not now. We can do that after the party, or tomorrow – I don't want to ruin it." I said, scrunching my eyes shut, wanting him to leave me so I could sob again under the shower. With a soft, 'OK' he left my room again. I noticed the loss of connection immediately. I didn't want to talk to him and especially not if he was going to tell me that it was a mistake – that Bella was his world, love and life. I wouldn't bear it if I'd hear that from him, even though I knew. But how was I sure now? Why would he even have the urge to kiss me at all? It was so confusing.

I stumbled to the bathroom, turning on the shower, undressed myself and stepped under the invitingly warm spray. No matter how bad I felt, the shower always seemed to soothe me somewhat. I rubbed and massaged my neck and shoulder muscles to relieve the tension.  
After having bathed and engulfed myself in my favorite shampoo, I got out, dried my hair and dressed in my bedroom.  
When I'd opened the present Alice had laid on my bed, I'd been afraid for some kind of slutty dress, with stockings and heels that make you fall over from their height. I was surprised when there was something my style in it.

The cream-colored dress had straps that crossed at the back. It was an A-line figure and it fell below my thighs. There were nude colored tights and a silver hair accessory that I stuck in the middle of the messy knot I'd made on the lower side of my head.  
I snickered when I saw the shoes – also cream-colored but with the vast golden studs it was complete. Everybody loves Alice.  
The Cullen Crest was once again proudly placed around my wrist, as the tag-necklace I'd inherited from Grandpa Draco hung at its usual place around my neck.  
I made sure to put my phone, keys and other important girls stuff in the matching golden purse and went downstairs. Bella was already waiting for me in a forest green dress, looking like mine but with only one shoulder strap. Alice planned to make her wear high heels, which were black. Bella's Cullen Crest was a small ring that she wore on her thumb sometimes. She didn't dare to admit it, but she thought it was old, ancient and ugly. Typical Bella thing.

"Wow! You look…eighteen!" she giggled. I couldn't really help the giggle that escaped. Seeing her made me think of what had almost happened that afternoon.  
"Yeah, well you look nineteen then I guess." I said, blushing form her comment. We stood awkwardly for a few moments before Bella picked up the keys. I wanted to grab mines as well but she halted me. _'Ah, it's our birthday after all. Let's be nice to her once.'_  
"You can drive with me. We're headed to the same house anyway," she said, shrugging. I smiled at her, letting her know I appreciated the gesture, before we threw on our coats and left the house.

As we sat into the roaring beast, my old rusty friend, we made small talk about school, teachers and weird people. I'd never been really the gossip type, but I just talked along with her. I must admit you couldn't even call it talking – the frequent 'Oh,' 'Yeah' , I've seen' and 'uhuh' weren't really the magical gossip words she'd wanted to hear.  
"So, are you nervous? I knew you're not a party animal." She asked as we turned into the offside road that led to the beautiful Victorian house.  
I shrugged, not really wanting to let her know I was uncomfortable, angry and confused. "no, not really. You are not right though – I don't like parties about myself. Those form other's I like a lot." It didn't made sense to Charlie and never did to my siblings, but it did to me. Bella chuckled.  
"Okay, well, I don't get it but it'll sure be important to you." She said, shaking her head as we neared the parking space in front of the house. All three vehicles were parked in front of the garage – the Volvo, the M3 and Mercedes. I was positive there were more cars behind the metal doors.  
Bella cut the engine and we got out. As soon as my feet hit the gravel beneath me, Alice was hugging my tiny frame.

"Hey girls! It's awesome you're finally here! Esmé and I've been so busy this afternoon! There are garlands, and candles and cake and presents and – " I put a hand over her mouth, knowing it was dangerous since she was a vampire, but she'd already seen me doing it. I smirked.  
"What about we go inside and see for ourselves?" I suggested. Alice rolled her eyes as I let go of her mouth. I regretted it immediately.

"Oh my god! I really need to see how those dresses look on you both! Get in and get out of the horrible coats! They're só ugly! Really, Melody we should go shopping once for a nicer jacket! A trench coat maybe? Or leather? No, no that's too cold for the human. Oh! What about – "

"Alice! Shut the fuck up, will you?" I pleaded, glee filling my mischievous eyes. She looked at my face and busted out in a giggle fest. Bella rolled her eyes.  
"She's evil, I swear she is." My half sister said as she hung up her coat, revealing the green satin of her gown.  
I arched an eyebrow at the still giggling pixie, as I hung up my own coat.  
"Evil? She's the damn devil herself. Mayday!" I said, twirling my hands above my shoulders, acting like I needed to flee. Alice stopped, laughing that minute and admired our dresses for a while.  
"God, Alice! if we have to wait another century, they sure as hell are not eighteen anymore!" I heard Rosalie yell from out of the candle-lit living room. I snorted girlishly, receiving a friendly whack on my arm, without ending up with a bruise.

As I entered the decorated living room, a feeling of nauseas erupted in my stomach. I was having to face Edward again. Edward who'd kissed me. on the damn lips. if he wasn't making me crazy, I'd gladly did it myself. Loathed it.  
As we stood in the room, all vampires appeared and started to sign 'happy birthday' to each of us. I smiled warmly at them. Maybe this wouldn't end up so bad after all.

One by one the congratulated us, looking al fabulously pretty in their own party outfits. Possibly Alice's doing either.  
"Happy Birthday, Melody." Carlisle said as he hugged me. It was astonished by his humanly gesture. He'd never done that. I nodded a thanks as Esmé's arms were around me the second Carlisle's left.  
"Happy birthday dear! You look so pretty tonight! You both do!" she gushed happily before letting me go. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were next. When it was Edward's turn, he avoided eye-contact with me and gave me a one armed hug.  
"Happy birthday," his voice floated, soft like a butterflies kiss. I melted at the sound and his breath by my ear.  
I saw Jasper have a look of confusion straightening his composure. He didn't understand the sudden distant way of behaving between us. We'd always been incredibly close in our friendship.

"Happy peppy b-day Baby Swan! You're a real woman now! how does that feel?" Emmett smirked devilishly in a real Emmett way. It was funny to see how he got this hilarious face on.  
"A real woman? Well, Em, that's not quite right here, baby." Rosalie said, having the same devilish smirk plastered on her angelic face. I knitted my brows together.  
Alice grinned, "Em, she's still a virgin. So, she not a real woman yet." she stated, proudly in a weird way. I gasped, blushed darkly crimson and stumbled a bit.

The look on Edward's face was priceless.


	9. 8 -- Melody Swan

"You're kidding!"Emmet exclaimed after his frozen goof face had melted. I was never, ever never going to live this down. and seriously – I was going to have a very long live.  
"No, we're not. Anyway enough with our favorite virgins – let's cut the cake!" Alice enthused, tugging me at my arm further into the room. I gasped when I saw a whole lot of presents stalled out on a table. When Bella saw it she was surprised too. I was praying they hadn't spent too much money on this.  
"Bella, Melody, come here." Esmé gestured with her hand, waving. We came to stand next to her, watching our birthday cake, which was quite huge for one human and a half-blood, in awe.

it was a lush pink cake that looked like an IPod. There were even ear buds made of white fondant. A few of our favorite songs were written on the white screen and the buttons were decorated with eatable glitters and rhinestones, making the whole cake complete.  
"Wow! Esmé this is so awesome! Where did you get it?" Bella asked enlightened. She did really mean it – just as I did. Esmé's eyes shimmered with an emotion I couldn't quite place.  
"It's from your sister Melody, dear. She send the recipe to a pastry Chef in Seattle and called me so I could pick it up this afternoon. She said it was your favorite cake – chocolate. " she explained. A gasp erupted from my throat followed by a bright, surprised smile.

"My choco-gasm cake!" I whispered amused. I couldn't believe they actually contacted so they could make this cake special for us. I needed a few seconds to swallow away the knot in my throat.

"Your what!?" Emmett asked astonished. I smirked, even though my cheeks started to pink up.  
"My choco-gasm cake. It's chocolate cake with a really powerful taste. It's like an explosion of sweetness. It tastes seriously divine! So my brother once joked that I got a choco-gasm, because of the…appreciating sound is made. It was embarrassing at the time really. Now we just refer to this cake as the ultimate choco-gasm." I explained, as the redness still dominated the pale space on my cheeks. Emmett had an incredulous look on his face while the others were chuckling. I'd totally flabbergasted the strongest and most annoying vampire in the house.

"Al right, so? Can we cut it? I'd like to taste if it's really that divine!" Bella enthused, winking at me because of the joke. She knew how it tasted – Layla made it for Charlie once when she and Nathan went with me a few years ago. Alice first took a picture, saying this should be important so we'd remember it.  
"You'll only turn eighteen once, right?" she joked. Every one cheered, as Alice cut through the pink fondant covering the crumbly chocolate heaven securely.  
"Like this we can make sure no one will cut their fingers." She winked as both Bella and I rolled our eyes. Of course she was right, though.  
Esmé already had set nine plates on the table in the living room, where Alice placed a slice for each of us on. Bella and I gave them all questioning looks.

"It's for the picture!" Alice stated, as if it was the most logical thing.  
"And like this it's as if we're really having a human birthday party." Rose added. I nodded in understanding while I briefly saw Edward's apologetic smile. I quickly looked away, wanting to avoid the thoughts, feelings and memories of the afternoon.  
Alice took pictures while Bella and I ate, and the Cullens pretended to in front of the camera. it was a funny sight to see how Emmett tried to 'lick off' his plastic fork with his tongue up in the air. Jasper just looked at it with a face that showed disgust, while Edward acted like he wanted to let a piece fall into his waiting mouth.

Now, _there's _an image that did other things with me and didn't involve cake.

After my half-sister and I enjoyed the divine slice of chocolate, Rosalie and Alice practically overthrew us with presents.  
We started with the first ones – those from my family in LA. They'd all sent a present from each of them. One for Bella and one for me.

Alice handed us both a package, that was quite heavy. We tore the green paper away from it and revealed a staple of three books. It was the trilogy I'd wanted to read when I was with them this summer. Now I understood why they didn't want me to buy it. Bella also got books, but from another genre – the last copies of 'Gossip Girl'.  
Rosalie came up with the next ones, wrapped in blue paper. The package looked strange and I wondered what might be hiding in it. no one knew who had sent it.  
As I tore away the paper, I noticed that the strange shape was from the paper bag.  
My faced turned crimson the second I saw what it was. I also knew immediately who'd sent it.  
"It's from my brother and Layla. Undoubtedly." I stated, annoyed and still redder than ever. Bella got a white pair of panties saying "I'm the crowning glory". Everyone laughed at it.  
"Well? Are you going to take it out or what?" Bella laughed. I stammered a bit, mumbling unimportant words before turning my attention back to the pink paper handbag.

Under a layer of tissue paper was a pair of panties with tiger design and black lace on the edges. As I fished it out, feeling my eyes burn from the intensity that my cheeks blushed, I noticed the glitters on the back. Holy fucking hell.

"_**go get'm TIGER**_!" was proudly written on the back with rhinestones and glitters. I couldn't known they would do something like this. The laughter roared through the room, except two voices that weren't heard. Mine because of the embarrassment and Edward's. his eyes were dark as his lips hung slightly apart from one another. The look in his eyes send shivers down my spine. Not from fear.

To make it all worse, Bella and I both found a gift card for Victoria's Secret. Thank you very much, Nathan Swan.  
When the laughter had died down a bit and Edward's intense look had returned to the apologetic smile again, we moved on with the presents.  
From Skye and Chris both got an empty photo album, designed by Chris himself. From my cousins we got simple little things – a necklace, bracelet and makeup.

"Now it's our turn!"Esmé exclaimed, wringing her hands happily.

Rosalie handed us a package again. I shook it as I creased my brows. It sounded empty.  
Emmett broad smile betrayed him, "All right! It's already in both your cars! It a new stereo system. It's from Jazzler her too." He said, still smiling. Emmett often complained about the bad radio range in our cars.  
"thanks Em, Jazz." I nodded in their direction, grateful for their awesome thinking. It wasn't like I couldn't buy myself one, but I didn't felt the need to do so.

"This one is form Rose and me!" Alice musical voice tinkled. We also tore this paper away, clearing the view to a two small boxes. In One were a few gift cards for a Spa and makeup articles and in the other was a small jewelry set – a ring, necklace and bracelet.  
"Thanks Rosalie, Alice this is so cool!" Bella gushed happily, sincerely glad with their presents.  
"Nice! Looks like I'm actually forced to suffer from mani-pedi's, now don't I? " I joked, giggling.  
"That's the point!" Alice all but squealed at me.

Before anyone could guess who was next, there was lying a small plastic cover with a red bow laying on my lap. I looked, seeing Edward retreat back to his place on the couch, opposite me. I turned it around and saw in graciously hand type writing, standing a song on the back.  
Melody's lullaby.

I gasped, just as Bella did. she however, got an expensive looking ring from Tiffany's.  
"did you..?" I managed to choke, as tears filled my eyes.  
"Yeah..I... know you don't like big presents so I thought you might like this instead. If you don't you can give it back of – "  
"What you're nuts! It's fantastic! Thank you so much Edward!" I exclaimed happily, luckily being able to push the threatening tears away. I wanted to hug him so badly, but restricted myself – I didn't want to know what might happen I if did.  
"This one is from Esmé and me. We hope you'll like it." Carlisle said as he handed us both a flat silver thing, that looked like an envelope.

When Bella started to open it at the side, a sharp piece cut alongside her finger.  
A thick droplet of rich, rusty and divine smelling blood piled out, before it dropped on the white carpeting.  
"Ow, shit, sorry, I'll just – "

Before she could finish her sentence, the room was filled with loud growls, thirst and seven pairs of wild, wanting eyes.

Six vampires and one Hybrid.


	10. 9 -- Melody Swan

I panicked, not knowing what to do and how to protect my secrets. I held my breath, blocking my air to breathe in the smell. I never knew this would have such an impact on me.  
I whimpered once, caught up in the memory of the drop falling on the floor, making it stand out in contrast with the white color beneath it. How the red spat, covering more pieces of carpeting. It was maddening.  
In a flash, Carlisle stood in front of me, taking hold of my arms trying to silence my whimpers of the burning pain in my throat.  
_'You'll be OK! Stop breathing and just act like you get nauseas of it!' _his stern thinking voice pleaded.

The tension in the room was way too obvious. Thirst roared through everyone's throat, even Carlisle had it a little difficult. It was Jasper who unconsciously projected it through everyone. The silence was deafening. I thought it took minutes, hours to see what was happening, while it only took my overactive brain less than seconds.

Jasper tried, but couldn't hold it anymore as his instincts took over. Without second thought, Edward pushed Bella backwards in my direction. The force his hands used on her to push her, knocked me over as well. We both yelped from panic and the adrenaline that coursed through our veins. Everything was startling my mind out.

I felt sharp things cut my healed shoulder, digging into the still sensitive flesh. I whimpered again, but not from the burn that the vampire side of me suffered from.  
I blinked, seeing Edward, Emmett and Rosalie trying to drag Jasper away from us. I sniffed the air by accident, gasping and straining my muscles with the second the red smell evaded my nose.

There was blood everywhere.

My breathing picked up as I tried to stay down and not to move. I didn't want to kill my sister.

When they got Jasper out, I heard his fight from far. The guilt, self-loathing and aggressiveness flooded through him as he fiercely fled to hunt and calm his senses.  
With scared eyes, Bella sat on the floor next to me in the pile of glass , blood and hundreds of red and pink rose petals. She swallowed thickly, looking at Edward, who still stood in the room before she passed out.  
_'I can't take this shit any longer!'_

"Edward, maybe you should go and find Jasper." Carlisle suggested as he tried to pick up my sister who sat against the wall like a ragdoll. Edward looked at me intensely, a lot of different emotions showing in his eyes and his face. I didn't dare to blink once.  
"Edward." Carlisle said once more. Without a word he left the house, soundlessly. We did however, hear the door slam close. I wondered if it was even whole still.

Carlisle had crouched down in front of me, pity written is eyes, covered with a million apologies.  
"Come on, let's look at your shoulder." He said before he stuck out his hand. I took it and scrambled up from the floor. I saw the cream colored fabric of my dress covered in blood, dirt and tears as I followed Carlisle to his office. He helped up me up on the desk, before picking out the right instruments to examine me.

I still hadn't uttered a word. My throat felt sore, scratchy , but I was glad that the urge to kill and the painful burn had left.  
Carlisle cut the strap of the dress so it wouldn't stick into the wounds. "Sorry" he muttered. I knew he was trying to communicate with me, but I was in a daze.  
"I left Bella on the couch. She only has a few scratches and a cut on the inside of her arm. She'll be fine. I think the blood got a bit too much on her though." He rambled as het cleaned the blood that had spilled out of the wound on my shoulder. I just blinked in reaction and winced once when he took out a small piece of glass with a tweezers.

Carlisle sighed. "Melody, you don't have to worry about having bared your secret. No one noticed the way you reacted. And if they did, they probably thought it was because of the blood." He said, still picking out the small glass crystals. I arched an eyebrow.  
"Well, it was because of the blood, but they probably thought you were nauseas or couldn't stand to be near it." he added to clear his story. I faintly nodded.  
Carlisle sighed deeply again, before it went awfully quiet. The silence freaked me out, like it always did.

I was starting to lose my mind. first everything the surrounds Edward – what happened that afternoon made me so confused and hurt. What if it was just an experiment to him? what if he was caught up in the moment of helping me? what if everything was a lie – how would I know if I wasn't able to read his mind.

And then all this. I hadn't even started to think about what might happen if they all knew, Bella included. My status needed to stay anonymous in case of my own safety and that from my family. Nobody could know what I was and where I was capable of.  
But every time, every action, made them moor suspecting. I was surprised they didn't notice when I ran into the forest during that baseball game from a few months earlier. It was extremely difficult either, to hide most of my skin as I could. The shouldn't see the scars and meaningful body art. They shouldn't want an explanation.  
And was Carlisle right in the first place? did they really think it was because some human nausea? I wasn't even able to read their minds at the precise moment. And how in the world did he know? What exactly did he know? Was it safe for him to know, even though he was a vampire, possibly one of the strongest existing.  
I needed to be invisible for the Volturi, if they'd find me there wouldn't be any way back. It is the reason why I changed my appearance. The reason I didn't hunt in the beginning and let my eyes fade to black. It's one of the huge reasons why I left LA – they knew I was there.  
And even the last time I was there, it came very close to ending for me.

The reason why they wanted me – dead or alive.

I was dangerous. Dangerous enough to make the most powerful vampire coven and rulers of the underworld back away.

"What do you know?" I asked, breaking the terrible silence. Carlisle had almost cleared the fresh wound of all the glass crystal pieces as he looked up at my face. It was tense, my jaw tight and my eyes stern, golden, but not as striking as they were earlier, when my true nature bared itself.  
Carlisle looked me into the eye for a few moments, searching for something. His mind wouldn't tell me – probably something he knew too.

"I know you're not human. Not completely that is. When I first met you, I had my suspicious – you were different, looked different and reacted in a very other way than any other normal human. Bella is an exception too, but she's family from you – it's part of your genes. "

I frowned, urging him on to tell me more. This, I already knew. Alice knew that too.  
Carlisle walked away and I started to get frustrated and my standard behavior with that had become aggressiveness. I couldn't and didn't suppress the low growl that rolled out of my throat.

"Melody, calm down. I'm only getting the right things to stitch up your wound. You need to learn to not lose your patience so fast and get agressive. It's one of the things that make you somewhat…interesting for …a very powerful – "

"The Volturi. I know."


	11. 10 -- Melody Swan

The incredulous look on Carlisle's face and the fact that he halted his actions at my shoulder said enough.  
"Melody please tell me you never got in touch with them? I know they're supposed to be the rulers of the mythic world we live in, but they're cruel." He said sternly his eyes showing an anxious expression while his thoughts added the fear for me with it. I swallowed looking back into his eyes, all honesty written in those golden gems of mine. The sigh that eluded form Carlisle, was tired and somewhat shaky.

"Is there more you know about me? what the others don't know and what they sure aren't going to find out?" I exclaimed, my voice tight at the end, eyes striking.  
"Not much. I know your aging is going to stop in a while, but I'm not sure how long that 'while' is going to take." He mused as het bound my shoulder with patches and a bandage. It was silent again and I watched as he walked away from me to ditch the dirty tissues covered with blood in a bowl before lightning the whole thing.  
"I've been trying to guess what you are, but you're making it extremely difficult for me. and next to that…he wouldn't tell me." Carlisle mused further. I didn't get the last part.  
"Who?"

The young blonde doctor that was pictured of as the father figure of this clan, turned to face me as I hopped off from the desk.  
"Carlisle who? Who told you this? How do you know?" I repeated, almost pleading.  
"I've know him for a very long time already. He's only one hundred years or so younger than I am. We met in Italy, during my days at The Volturi. I inspired him to become a vegetarian vampire." His eyes got an empty expression like he was far away, sinking back into the memories. He wouldn't let me see them though.  
"He was actually my first friend before I created Edward, my son. Last June, before the James incident, we met again. we got to talk and I asked how he was. he told me he got married and surprisingly got a son." He told me further. I still had no clue where he was talking about, but a feeling told me I knew the man he was talking about.  
"Melody, my old friend and I met again at the hospital, where you were treated. I was shocked when I found out his relationship to you." Carlisle explained. I gasped. It possibly couldn't! I was forbidden to speak about this and he just did? to someone outside our family, our clan? Not that I didn't trust Carlisle , I did, but it betrayed me to not know this. Carlisle had known something for so long. I felt the anger boil underneath my skin as I balled my fists.  
Adam.  
"Melody…"

I jumped up and smashed my good arm onto the book shelf, roughly. A few fell down on the ground as a loud crack was heard followed with the sound of the heavy books falling onto the wooden flooring.  
"DAMN IT! How could he tell me to shut my FUCKINGmouth and then tell someone himself!? It's not FAIR! I ALWAYS did as they asked me! I always follow the DAMN RULES! I'm not even ALLOWED to tell you and the others!" I yelled hoarsely as tears of anger rolled down my cheek. And Carlisle just let me raze. I smashed with my arm again into the air but with enough force to knock the whole bookshelf down, before rubbing my face with my palms.

"Melody, don't be mad at him. he meant it the right way. You should know he was struggling to tell me. he didn't really want to, but when I confronted him with the fact that I thought you weren't completely normal, he hinted a few things. The things I just told you. Nothing more." Carlisle's hand lay on my wounded shoulder, cooling the burn in the process. I turned around facing him again.

"I'm so sorry I violated your bookshelf…I didn't think straight I'm very sorry." I murmured, not really able to speak clearly enough.  
"It's okay. I'll just place them back in before anyone will notice. And don't worry – I won't tell or let Edward hear anything from this." He ensured me in a fatherly tone.

"Carlisle, do you also know about…Ehm…my gift then?" I asked unsure, as I followed him out of his office into the hallway.  
"Yes, I do. But I did figure that out myself, though." He smiled friendly at me. "I do think it's strange Edward doesn't seem to know. You would think he did since he's a mind reader himself, but he absolutely clueless." Carlisle mused again, tapping his chin as he thought about how that could be possible. Always the doctor.  
"Good. Let's keep it that way."  
"You have my word."


	12. 11 -- Melody Swan

We descended the stairs in silence, the tension from our conversation slowly sinking away as I felt my muscles obviously relax.  
Carlisle went to Bella, who was just getting back from her faint. I gathered all our presents together and said I was getting them into the trunk of The Beast.  
Sadly, I stumbled to the rusty red truck and placed all our birthday presents carefully in the cabin. It was cold outside, sending the chills over my body, eliciting goose bumps all over. I sighed deeply, resting my head against the door of the truck, which I just closed. I pushed myself away from the metal and went back inside. To my surprise, Carlisle had already bandaged Bella's wrist and handed her a cup of steaming tea to calm down.

"Hey! Are you alright? Oh my god! Your shoulder!" Bella rushed when I came into view. I shrugged, wincing when I realized that wasn't a great idea, when the pain stung through the wound.  
_'would you like some tea too, Melody?' _I nodded slightly at Carlisle's silent question in my head. He went to prepare a cup of strawberries tea for me while I sat down tiredly next to Bella. She felt crazy, confused and afraid, which was kind off surprising. She never was afraid for anything about the Cullens, as long as she tried to get Edward in her bed. Of course he was in her bed every night, but not in the way she preferred to.  
Just when Carlisle set down the cup with steaming tea in front of me, Esmé entered the kitchen with a troubled face. Of course she was – she felt horrible for what happened even though it wasn't her fault. It was nobody's fault.  
She stood there waving with her hands a bit wary without breathing. Carlisle nodded as he stepped out of her way to enter the kitchen. I knitted my brows together as I sipped the tea, testing if it wasn't too hot.  
_'She's going to clean up the mess in the living room. The bleak will make sure the smell is gone…' _Carlisle answered my confused expression with a thought. One side of my mouth tugged upwards a bit in a small smile. It was actually nice to communicate with him like this. I always thought it was nice to do that with my siblings and with Charlie.

While Esmé and Carlisle cleaned up, Bella and I silently drank our tea. At some point I started shivering uncontrollably.  
"Hey, are you okay?"Bella asked, reaching her hand for my arm. When she touched it, she gasped."Wow! You're ice cold!" she exclaimed. Immediately, we were surrounded by vampires again. three this time.  
An over worried Edward stood poised at my side, gauging my temperature with the back of his hand on my forehead. I backed away immediately, feeling my cheeks starting to boil up and trying to make the sudden rise of aggressiveness slow down.  
"It's fine there's nothing wrong with me." I huffed, stepping off from my high stool at the kitchen island.  
Edward's furious expression didn't make me act any less. "Melody you're not fine! This is not normal! You should listen for a change!" he sneered, the fury undertone combined with the dark velvet, making his voice ultra stern and completely dazzling.  
"Edward, it's fucking November!" I yelled before stomping out of the kitchen with Bella on my heels. I threw on my coat, ignoring the vast sting in my shoulder as I winced. Bella hesitated, but my look told her she'd better follow.  
"Melody, damn-it! Can't you see we're worried about you!? We almost killed you, drained you! You should at least let us check if you're all right!" Edward wouldn't let us leave without fighting and push through what he wanted.  
I turned around to face him, front door already opened. My eyes were not black, but not golden anymore either. A glitter of shock crossed his black pupils.  
"Fall dead anyway, Edward!" I razed before pulling Bella with me, who eagerly complied, and making my way to the truck. i turned around once more, when Bella was already seated behind the steering wheel.  
"Oh wait! You already are!"


	13. 12 -- Melody Swan

I slammed the door of the truck close behind me and waited for Bella to turn the engine. She didn't.  
"Where are you waiting for? Start the damn car!" I groused. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I sunk back against the headrest with my eyes closed. I knew Edward and the others whom had come back stood there at the front door staring. I didn't want to catch a glimpse of the expression on his face after I'd said that. Bella started the engine that came up with a loud rumble and backed out of the driveway. After a while, Bella couldn't stand it anymore.

"Where the hell was that for?" she sneered as we drove along the border of the woods. I huffed loudly. "He deserved it. End of story."  
"No, not end of story. This shit is ridiculous Melody. I was freaking scared when they wanted to fucking kill me!" she said chokingly. I turned my head to look out of the window.  
"I feel guilty. I we weren't human, this wouldn't have happened." I said softly as I tried to figure out how many trees stood alongside the road. I heard Bella huff. _'If they weren't vampires, this wouldn't have happened. Why is such a beautiful guy such a creep?' _  
At that comment, I did my very best not to freak out or get aggressive.

She drove further as the silence crept into the mint-smelling cabin.  
I did feel guilty. I felt awful. My feelings were getting away with me and I couldn't control them. I started to feel even more horrendous with every single inch I was away from him. I craved his presence, his jokes, the feel of his cold hugs and I even craved for that kiss he gave me, even if it was barely there. in that moment everything felt so right. For the first time I got here in Forks. And I didn't get it. he was with Bella – obviously not meant to be with me.  
I wasn't even worth his love if that possibility was there.

"We're home. "Bella announced curtly before getting out of the truck. I sighed as I pulled of my seatbelt and followed her action by opening the door and jumping out.  
Bella had left the front door open and I shuffled inside, fighting against the tears. The one moment I was extremely happy, followed by a rage of aggressiveness and now I just wanted to cry a river. In the hall I threw of my coat, kicked out my shoes and then I went into the living room.

"Melody? Is that you?" Charlie questioned as I entered the room. Bella was next to him on the couch, giving me a vile look for some reason.  
"Hi, Dad." I replied, nervously. I was wondering how long it would take him before he'd freak upon seeing the huge bandage on my shoulder. Again.  
"And? Was it a nice party?" he asked, turning around slowly. I winced at his question.  
"Yes, it was. we got nice presents and stuff and an enormous cake and eh.."

The look on my father's face made me stop talking._ 'What in the world happened to you NOW?' _his mind screamed. I cringed again. his face started to get a purple shade and I wondered if he was still breathing. I made a show of following his gaze so it would look real to Bella.  
"Well, dad, you know how clumsy I am…I ehm…fell against a glass table…and eh…Carlisle made sure to take all the pieces out and stitched up the wound." I'd averted my eyes, while my face was blazing.  
"and because of the fact she indeed too clumsy for words, she pulled me down with her fall." Bella gestured to her underarm. Charlie followed her gaze and sighed deeply.  
_'somehow, I get the feeling you're not telling the truth Melodiana, but you always seem to get in trouble.' _

"all right, I could've expected something like that in your case." He yawned suddenly and I glanced at the clock. It was past twelve at midnight. The time had flown by very fast.  
"Melody, make sure to check the wound enough or let Carlisle look at it once. Bella, for you the same theory here. I'm heading off to bed." he yawned again, shuffling tiredly to the stairs.  
"Night Dad."  
"Good Night girls."


	14. 13 -- Melody Swan

Fifteen minutes later I was in my bedroom. I'd shed the dress and other clothes and made myself comfortable by putting on my sweatpants and a shirt. The tears that had threatened were finally breaking free as I sat there, sobbing on the edge of my huge bed.  
"Why is everything so difficult?" I whispered to myself. I didn't know why but I just did. after a while, when the clock announced it was just before two in the night, I decided I was done with the crying fit. I got up and noticed my camera sitting on my desk. I picked it up, along with the USB flash drive Alice had given me last week. There was a small pink note beneath it with gracious handwriting on top.

**Set them on your laptop and watch them. XOXO Alice**

This were all photos from last summer until last week.

I started my laptop and stuck the USB into the right gate. A little web window opened and I clicked on it. immediately, lots of photos started to fill my screen. Ones I recognized but also a lot of them I'd never seen or heard from before. Of course was quite the sneak in the family. I wondered why she wanted me to see them now. All of this wasn't here when I left earlier in the evening.

Alice had spread everything into separate maps with a title.  
Picnicking in the woods, BBQ at the Cullens, girls photo shoot, weird pictures, rain dancing and then from every one of us another separate box and a lot more.  
I started looking at them, beginning with the first box. We went picnicking in the woods with the whole clan, as we preferred to call ourselves. The weather had been pleasant during the highlight days of the summer as Esmé had packed all kinds of food with her for me to eat. Bella wasn't with us – she'd spent the day at the reservation. There were pictures from almost about everything. I was happy there, I could easily see that. There was one picture of me and Edward, while we stuck a sandwich in each other's mouth. The look on his face was one of utter disgust and laughter, making it look hilarious. I let pout a soft giggle when I remembered. After the picture, he spit out the bread as we all laughed.

During the barbeque at the Cullens they'd insisted on bringing Charlie with me. Esmé commented he should eat better, which was funny – he lived on fast-food, meat and easy dishes. I noticed Bella wasn't with us then either – La Push was a place she went a lot to hang out with Jacob. I frowned. She always seemed to be there, while we created nice trips or funny days. And it was even stranger that Edward didn't seemed to miss her at the slightest.  
There was a shot of Emmett and me while he tried to pick a spare-rib from the roaster with his hands, while I wanted to rescue him with the meat fork because I was afraid he might get up in flames.

There was also one day, where Alice wanted a few photo's of the three of us. She and Rosalie used me as their Barbie doll again and we posed for the camera in the backyard, using the timer. It started out really cool, until Jasper decided to ruin the fun. I shivered as I remembered the cold water that he poured over us with the hose.  
With the weird pictures, there were mostly ones of Emmett, Jasper and surprisingly Edward. He'd been brooding at the beginning of summer, being depressive about something and not wanting to come any close to me. I'd felt terrible at the time, wondering why. He never told me however. I laughed quietly as I scrolled through the amount of pictures with strange faces.

When I opened the last box, my breathing halted. I didn't remember that there'd been a camera close by. it was raining in October and Edward and I got the mad idea to go dancing in the rain. I'd grabbed an umbrella, pulled on my old converse and we ran outside in just our T-shirts. The music that blared from the speakers in the garage made us dance in the ran as we laughed constantly. Apparently Alice made sure to freeze those magical moments. on the pictures, I was blushing non-stop and we both jumped into the deep pools of water, getting soaked through the bone. But we didn't care – it was fun, awesome and lovely.  
I gasped aloud when I came across a shot where Edward's arm was around my waist, the umbrella behind my butt as he swung me around, while my arms were around his neck. The look on his face resembled to the ones you see in the most romantic movies existing. It was a look of devotion, contentment and love.  
I looked at the picture once more, twice even. It can't be. He can't be in love with me. He's with Bella. She kept telling me all the time how much Edward loved her and how many times he let her know. I frequently seen them steal a kiss, looking away when that happened.  
So I must been imagining it.  
Or not?  
Why was Bella at La Push so much, hanging out with Jacob? Why did Edward spent so much time around me?  
It could be a right reason for why he kissed me.

I let my head fall into my waiting hands, sighing in frustration.  
I remembered the way he acted towards me sometimes – coolly, uninterested and distant. As if he didn't even like me. I never understood.  
So maybe….  
No. I thought about this a little more, but decided that's what it only was – just a thought.


	15. 14 -- Melody Swan

I shut down the laptop and turned off the big light in my room. I dropped on the bed and searched for my phone, which lay under a pillow.  
There were nine messaged waiting for me. it was funny they went from old to young.

**Dr.A. : Melody! Happy birthday little sister! I'm looking forward to seeing you again. We should think of a way to celebrate Christmas with everyone. x Adam  
**  
I deleted that one right away. I was still mad at him for what he'd done. I scrolled down to the next one.

**Dr.S.M. : Hey honey! Happy birthday! I hope you liked our presents! I miss you, we should talk soon once! Love, Scarlett. **

**N. : PIGMY! (: Happy bitchday! ^^ I'm sure you loved the present Lay and I gave you! Ciao poco! XXXXXXXX Nate**

I totally rolled my eyes at that. The guy was born to irritate me.

**L.S. : Hey brownie! Happy BDAY! Hope you'll get thousands more! did you like the cake? XO Layla**

**C. : Little dude, happy birthday! X Chris**

**S.H. : Hi Melly! How's your birthday without a number [do you still age anyway?] XD. We seriously need 2 chat soon! I want to hear nice stories! XO Skye**

**Anonymous: Hi! You probably don't know who this is, but let me tell ya – I totally rock my new IPhone! This is the number! Oh, and happy birthday! X Denim  
**  
**F. : Hey! Did you like the makeup we gave you? I hope you do! Anyways, happy second fifteenth birthday! ^^ xx Faith**

**A. : Hi, wanna wish you a happy bday [you probably heard that, like, a lot.] x Alana**

I sighed. They didn't even have a clue where I was going through at the moment. I could text them back – they'd be awake anyway, but decided against it. I was tired and school wouldn't start on the afternoon tomorrow.

School was shit. All the Cullens ignored me, even Alice. they'd look at me with the darkest of black eyes, shooting all kinds of hatred thoughts towards me. it was awful.  
When I went to biology, Edward and Alice weren't even there. there lay a note on my table, which I shared with Edward this year.

_Meet me at the cliff close to my house. _

I frowned. What could he possibly want from me, there? After school I left to drive myself to the cliff Edward wrote about. When I neared, I cut the engine and walked up the mountain. By the time I was finally there, I didn't see him. The water beneath the rock was wild and restless. I started to panic.

"Edward where are you?" I blinked an when I opened my eyes, he stood in front of me in the same clothes he wore to the birthday party.  
"Edward what's going on? Why won't you talk to me? I already said I was sorry!" I tried. He didn't move an inch.  
"We're leaving." He said coldly.  
"What? leaving..ho- why?"  
"You ruined everything for us. you don't belong in our world."  
"but..I thought you were my best friend!?" I squeezed out of my throat. My breathing became shallow as my sight blurred. His cynical laughter made my heard shatter.  
"oh, right sure."  
"I don'tget it Edward! where are we going then?"  
"You're not going anywhere but down." he said back, snarling.  
Down? what did he mean?  
"Goodbye Melody. I hope you'll have a long happy life. Without us." he finished. I blinked and when I opened my eyes, he was gone.  
Edward was gone.  
"Edward! Please! Don't do this to me! Please don't kill me! NO!" I screamed, yelled and ran. When I didn't know where I was heading anymore, I fell down, down into the wild water beneath me.  
So that was what he meant.


	16. 15 -- Melody Swan

"Nooo! Please, come back! Don't leave me!"

The sudden feel of a hand on my shoulder, made me open my eyes.  
"Melody, are you all right? The same again?" Charlie's eyes stood worried as his mind told me what he'd seen and heard.

It had been a dream. A horrendous, realistic dream. Nightmare didn't even suit it.

"Was it the same dream as a few months back?" Charlie tried to ask again. I hadn't answered him yet.  
"No, no. it was…just a nightmare. I don't remember it anymore, I think." I said hoarsely. Charlie squinted his eyes, checking if I meant it. of course I didn't, but he was human enough to believe the lie.

"Alright, I'm going to work. I left some Tylenol on the kitchen counter for the pain." He pointed to my injured shoulder," don't do strange things to make it even worse, got it lady?" he finished seriously, even though there was a small hint of humor there. I nodded and crawled out from under the duvet to get dressed for school. Charlie left my room, said greeted once more and went downstairs to get to work.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a pitch black long-sleeved shirt with buttons on the front and my favorite converse – the blood red ones. I didn't know why, but I had the feeling I was going to hate today. And tomorrow probably too and if would be that bad, the day after was having the honor either. I brushed the wild curls out of my hair and twisted the tresses into a messy ballet bun on the back of my head.  
After having grabbed my bag, and leaving the act of applying makeup behind me, I went downstairs for a quick breakfast and without any goodbye or waiting for Bella, I left the house.  
I didn't fucking care.

When I got outside, Mrs. Farrel, our 72- year old neighbor, was picking up the newspaper. A wind of air blew her scent towards me. I gasped and held my breath. Mrs. Farrel waved friendly at me but I wasn't able to move. I wouldn't let myself. Good God, I needed to hunt.

The burn from the night before never left my throat, it only lessened a little. Just a little. I never expected to smell the sweet odor from such a distance. The woman lived across the wide road, for penguin's sake!  
I swallowed the pooling venom and made a bee-line for my car. I threw open the door, jumped in and slammed it back close as hard. I started the engine and backed out of the driveway to head towards school. I prayed things wouldn't go mad there. I had enough on my mind right now.  
As I passed Mrs. Farrel, she still stood there, a little astonished.

_'What's wrong with the girl? She's always so kind..'_  
Well, that's a damn good question.

When I drove upon the school parking lot, this nagging feeling crept up in my mind. Why did everything suddenly go wrong? Since the whole James thing before summer, everything went fine. The Cullens ended up being my second family, I felt at home there, and now all of the sudden the magic seemed gone. I feared my dream might come true, but why? Why would they leave? Was I that boring to them?  
No, that couldn't be it – apart from Carlisle and Alice, nobody was aware of the fact that they should keep their private thoughts away from me.

I stepped out of the car, only to be greeted by the front of my sister's…eh…chest. I stepped back a bit, before looking up. The look on her face was full of anger. What did I do now!?

"Damn-it Melody! This is all your fault. All of it. Edward doesn't want to talk to me! He isn't even here for fuck's sake!" she groused. I pushed her aside a little so I could close the door of my car.  
"You know, if you want to blame me for something you don't have to push your tits in my face, Bella!" I growled. She huffed.  
I started walking towards 'our place' – it's where we met each other every single morning.  
"Melody.." Bella called at a warning tone, following me.  
I looked up, gasping. Wait! She did say…  
"Bella they're not here!" I squeaked, panic consuming me. I looked around, searching for the Volvo or the red M3. Even the Jeep would make me feel happy right now.  
"No, that's what I'm trying to tell you! What's wrong with you lately? I mean come on! you go from silent shy nerd to wild angry bitch!" she sneered. It was raining and I didn't care. What I did care for, was the fact that my dream seemed to become only more real.


	17. 16 -- Melody Swan

Anxiously, hoping they would show eventually, Bella and I entered the building, heading for our first class of the day – mathematics.  
Mr. Varner kept babbling about some formula while my mind drifted off to somewhere else – someone else to be exact.  
Yes, I was angry , more than angry even. That awful dream only made me more mad at him – especially if it actually happened in my unconsciousness. Was he still mad over what happened the night before? I mean, it was risky and quite scary but not that bad? Well, maybe it was for them – the fact that I already went mad for the blood would make nothing with how they would feel.  
I immediately felt bad again. It was our fault – we made them feel that way. I thought it was terrible to see and hear the embarrassment Esmé suffered from. Or about the restraint Emmett needed to get on his muscles to not jump and give in.  
And then Edward – he'd been so carefree with me, so like himself. Alice told me once he'd been such a brooding mess, always alone and reading, listening to drama music and tinkling on his piano. Rose noted he'd changed a lot and that this was very notable.  
But from the moment I refused to talk to him about the kiss and the time that blood started streaming, the joyful spark left his eyes right away.  
Edward was gone, and it would take a long road to get him back to me. If that was even possible.

The thoughts made me sick in the stomach.  
And where was Alice, my fairy best friend? I needed her to survive high school, or when I had problems with girl stuff. Or Rose with her confidence about how to act like a woman, and her attraction with cars.  
I started to feel more and more ill.

"Melody, are you okay? You seem, I don't know, off? And you're so pale, so suddenly." Bella noted worried. I was surprised by her sincerity, she was really worried about me and our friends who seemed to have disappeared in thin air. We were at the table now, only the two of us. Bella normally sat with her 'army' but today she thought it might be more fair to me to not let me sit alone.  
Wow, maybe she was actually maturing.

"I'm fine, really. Just worried sick about where they are. Don't you think this is strange, Bell? Something happens and they're gone." I choked , picking at my sandwich, like I always did.  
Bella's eyebrows creased, "Off course they aren't gone. I mean…maybe they're just a little overwhelmed from the amount of..blood.." she tried to find a reason to object but she definitely had the same feeling as I had.

Three days. Three days had it been and still no word, sign or anything from the Cullens. Absolutely nothing. I didn't sleep and every time my mind would catch a dream, I'd bolt upright when I recognized the beginnings of the nightmare where Edward left.  
I started to think the reality was even worse than the bad dreams.

I was completely on edge and refused to eat, call my siblings or watch baseball with Charlie. I was beginning to turn into the loner again, that depressive torn soul from after I woke from a two weeks coma.  
I completely flipped when Charlie made an appointment at the hospital for my shoulder. It was ridiculous that I almost wanted to scream that I wanted Doctor Cullen to be my doctor and not Dr. Gerandy.

Carlisle hadn't been at work since four days, having called he was suffering from a flu.

When we heard Bella and I exchanged looks as I felt the aggressiveness take over the wheel again. That evening I'd jumped out of my bedroom window and ran for hours to lose the adrenaline by violating a few trees.  
I was getting lunatic and freaking the fuck out.

After another night of crying, sleeplessness and ticking clocks, I faced myself in the mirror. The fact that I wasn't eating, hunting and the lack of sleep where taking a toll.  
My skin was pale, almost gray looking, while dark shadows encircled my tired, black eyes. The blush that normally stained my cheeks hadn't glowed for a while and my hair had lost its vibrant color. Just like I did. I was at a loss, not knowing where to find them and how. They had become a part of me, of my life, of my being.  
The actual idea of living without Edward cut straight through me, ice cold.

Numbly, I worked myself into a pair of torn jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. I only seemed to wear black lately. I didn't bother with makeup and left my hair hanging down.  
I was so tired of this.  
When I stepped downstairs, Bella was seated at the kitchen table having breakfast and staring blindly into nothing. I went to one of the cupboards to grab some Tylenol for the headache.

"You should eat."  
I turned around, facing her while she stood up to place her empty bowl on the counter.  
"Maybe I should decide that for myself." I snapped, throwing the painkiller into my mouth and swallowing it with water.  
Bella winced. "Melody you look awful. This isn't healthy." She stated.  
"Like I said; I'll decide that for myself." I snapped again, heading for the hallway to throw on my coat, black vans and bag.  
"Melody, the Cullens are proba – "  
"I'm out of here!" I called, swinging the door open and slamming it close behind me. Once in my car, I drove to school while ice flowed through my veins. I had a bad feeling about today. When I cut the engine after having found a spot to park my Fiat, I let my head fall on the steering wheel.

"God, Edward where are you? Please, where are you? I need you…" I whimpered.


	18. 17 -- Melody Swan

School was a drag. The lessons seemed to take hours and Bella didn't talk to me anymore. she was pissed that I'd acted like that in the morning. At some point it was extremely hard to keep my eyes open while my sight blurred once in a while.  
I really needed to sleep sometime.  
When the loud chime of the bell finally signaled the end of a long day, I shuffled slowly and above all tiredly to my locker and after that to my car. I drove home, trying to make sure I got there safely. It was a good thing I could read minds.

When I got home, Bella's truck was already there. I creased my brows – she was supposed to be at school for another two hours. Perhaps the last two had become due. I swung my bag over my good shoulder and went inside. The door hadn't been opened and Bella never closed the door when she was inside. I turned the lock and got in, dropping the heavy bag on a chair in the kitchen before I went to search for my sister.  
"Bella?" I called, walking into the living room. She wasn't there which was strange. She always sat there after school, watching TV with some cookies. "Bells? Where are you?" I called again. nothing. No reply. When I went into the kitchen again, I noticed a white scrap of paper with Bella's handwriting on it.

_'I'm out for a walk in the woods. I'll be back home later. X Bella.' _

A walk in the woods? The only time she went to take a walk, was when she was angry with me for not agreeing with her, when she tried to find out what Edward was. Maybe she only did that when she felt kind of awful. She probably felt anxious too, because we hadn't heard from them yet. even though I still thought it was strange, I dropped the feeling. I'd wait until she'd get back and then I could ask her about it.

After two more hours there was still no sign of Bella. She must be taking a long walk then. Her action, however, made me think of an idea.  
I seriously needed to hunt. I hadn't eaten much and it started to get pretty difficult to be around so many humans. The tiredness wasn't nice either and with only a load of blood in my system, that problem would be solved too.  
I went upstairs to dress in some old clothes – I didn't want to get the good ones all torn an dirty. After having redressed, I wrote a small note for Charlie saying I would be home later than usual. That way, Charlie knew I was out hunting. I placed the note next to Bella's and left the house, locking the front door.  
I crossed the street, watched if there was someone close and then jump into the bushes on the other side. The anticipation for the hunt, made the adrenaline race through my veins and I noticed that a small smile curved my lips. I was finally giving in.  
I started running at vampire speed, surprised that it went smoother than before. Normally, I needed to concentrate first before shooting off, but now I only thought about wanting the blood, craving it so much that my mouth started watering – or venoming actually – that I could start right away.  
I ran northward, up the hill, felling free and getting away from all the sorrow and anxiousness I was feeling. Running was a huge relief and I was happy I decided to go. I needed it, not just the blood.

Thinking about blood again made me run faster. I listened to the sounds of the nature and giggled when I noted that all animal fled away from me. they were the only ones who could feel that I was dangerous. I heard water flowing, somewhere nearby and smelled the sweet aroma. I licked my lips in anticipation, guessing which animal it was. it wasn't a carnivore – those were still too strong for me and I wasn't that indestructible yet. a mountain lion could easily harm me and even kill me if it turned out badly. It was one of the reasons why I didn't hunt that often. I raced through the woods, jumping into a tree near by the lake where I saw a group of deers drinking. The first time I'd hunted, after that horrific hour biology before summer, I'd felt bad about killing an innocent animal. But the more I learned to handle with it and got used to it, I accepted it was part of my nature. At some point I wouldn't survive without the blood.  
I crawled forward until I reached the end of the branch, crouching into attack position. I went wild with each tug of air I breathed and the lush smell evaded my nose. I inhaled deeply once and jumped down. I pushed down two of them, while the other animals ran away, scared and only following their own instincts now.  
The deers struggled against my grip, until I bit one in its neck, sucking at its jugular and sighing contently as I felt the thick, warm liquid stream down. the other deer still wriggled under my hands, but I kept it to the ground. There was no way I was letting it go now, not after I'd tasted the first drop. It was stupid form me that I'd let this waver in the background for so long. I hadn't hunted in two months, while I needed to do that once a month, twice if I felt the need to.  
The deer underneath me had become completely still, and when his heart had stopped beating, it didn't take very long before it was drained. I shoved the carcass away from me and bit down in the other's neck, drinking from that one as well. I heard myself moan frequently, as I submerged in the taste and how good it made me feel. I literally felt myself getting stronger and imagined that my face looked like normal again, alive.  
I pushed the dead deer away when I'd drunk the last drop. I was gasping for air and somehow smiling wickedly. I felt a bit like myself again and closed my eyes while I calmed myself. Once my breathing had turned to normal, and my heart slowed its fast erratic beating, I chanced a glance at my clothes. There weren't as dirty as before. Only my jeans were covered with mud and the sleeves of my shirt too. the only places that were covered with blood were my lips, chin and throat. I stood up and tottered to the thin streamlet to wash myself. I picked the leaves and twigs out of my hair and bound the tresses back in a ponytail whit a elastic band that I wore around my wrist.

"Aaah…" I sighed, content and feeling a little mushy from the warm fluid in my belly. I went back to a tree and sat back against it, resting a bit before I would go back home to wait for Bella and Charlie. It already started to get dark, which was normal around this time of the day since it was November after all.

After a while of thinking, resting and half like sleep , my phone suddenly rang. Its ringtone blared through the silent woods and I quickly grabbed it from my pocket. It was Charlie.  
"Hey Dad." I answered, creasing my brows. He never called when he knew I was hunting only in emergencies. Oh hell…  
"Melody, are you alright? where are you?" Charlie's gruff voice sounded through the speaker.  
"Dad, I'm fine, I'm…well, you've seen my note right?" I replied. I didn't say I was hunting – you never knew who was with him at the moment.  
"Melody, do you know where Bella is?" he asked in return. My eyes flew open. Fuck. I was starting to have an idea about there this was heading.  
"No, I only saw a note from her that she was out taking a walk. She'd be home later, why? Isn't she home yet?" it was already past seven at night.

"Melody, Bella is missing."


	19. 18 -- Melody Swan

"Dad, I swear I'm out hunting, I'll be back as soon as I can! I can try to find her!" meanwhile I'd jumped up from the ground, already walking back in the direction I'd come from.  
"Melody, no, It's too risky! Can you imagine what happens when you go running and searching for her, pure on instinct? You still can't completely control your thirst and you could easily…kill…her if you'd find her. Especially after you just hunted. I'm forbidding you! You are going to finish what you need to do, and then I want you to come home. Safe and secure please." Charlie's stern voice had made me halt. he was right, even though my stubborn nature wanted nothing more than to search for Bella. I was fast, strong and if something happened to her I could easily fight it off.  
I sighed. "Fine. I'll see you later." And with that I broke the connection. I started to feel aggressive again, feeling my muscles strain underneath the soft skin. Where was she? Had she hurt herself? Had someone else did something to her? Was she injured? I didn't know, I hated not knowing it. we might fight a lot but she still was my sister. And if someone, something touched her I'd protect her just as much as I'd do with my other siblings.  
Where the fuck was Alice when you needed her?

The aggressiveness was back in my system, clouding my rational mind and before I knew it I was sprinting through the forest again. I didn't know where I was heading as my feet forcefully hit the ground, making me rush forward. At one point, I suddenly changed course. I felt like I was pulled by something, like I needed to go there. Maybe it was the place where I could find Bella.  
I kept running not thinking, just giving in on my instinct. After a vast ten minutes, I started to recognize my surroundings. It couldn't be. I slowed my pace as I saw the familiar Victorian Cullen estate still standing proudly as the light of the moon shone down on it. there was the nagging feeling again, but also still the pull towards it.  
The lights were still on. There must be someone inside.  
Curious and desperate to know if they were still here, I walked up to the house. Firstly, I passed the garage but no cars were found there. when I walked further and glanced through the windows, disappointment eluded me. yes, the lights were on, but the house seemed abandoned and all pieces of furniture were covered with brattice.

They were really gone.

The realization hit. I'd thought about it, but never really expected. They weren't here anymore, not in Forks. They'd left me behind. I panicked again, my breathing started to hitch and the damned tears streamed down once again. the thick warm, salty droplets were starting to anger me. I hated crying, I was tired of it.  
"Why…why, why? Why did you leave me? I need you? I can't live without you…why…?" I sobbed and whimpered falling down on my knees. it started raining and before I knew it I was soaked true the bone.  
But I didn't care. They'd left me. Nothing mattered. He left me. Just when I needed him the most. I'd always need him by my side. To cheer me up or make me laugh. Even to fight against. I couldn't imagine a life without him, but it was happening.  
And I couldn't stop it.

Another heart-wrenching sob left my chest as I lay there curled up like a ball in the front yard. I didn't care that the gravels stones were sticking in my flesh. I didn't care I'd get a vast cold, sneezing like madness.

Nothing bothered me anymore.

Suddenly, I heard sound from behind me. it was a twig-break. Someone was here with me.  
I crawled upwards from the ground, waiting for the most rational reaction. But it never came. I wasn't scared or afraid. Instead I felt completely safe. I tried to find out whom it was, because I was sure it was a human being or a vampire.

I gasped when I wasn't able to read its mind.


	20. 19 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: Hi ladies! [seriously? any men out there? *looks around*]**

**curious about what might happen? ^^**

**I'm warning you for the next few chapters; they're rated M for the obvious which means... *waggles eyebrows***

* * *

My breaths were heavy, even I could hear the deep sound through the deafening silence of the moonlit night. I didn't dare to turn around and face him. the hairs on my neck were standing straight while the shivers shot down my spine, making me one trembling mess.  
Seconds go by, feeling like hours before I calmed myself thus enough to turn around. Eyes closed, I willed my body to turn towards him. slowly opening them, my lids fluttered, wanting to make sure this wasn't my imagination.

And there he was. He, Edward, my immortal, my secret love. It was dark, maybe a tad too dark, but I could easily make out his frame and pale-white skin. I gasped when I saw the diamonds covering his skin, as the moonlight shone down on him.

He just stood there, his jeans were torn on several places while his shirt couldn't be called 'whole' anymore. His facial expression made my heart pang again, because it looked even more torn than his clothes.  
We were standing, in the Cullen front yard, just staring at each other, trying to control or breathing. I heard his shallow breaths all too clearly, but didn't understand why.  
After a while, he offered up to walk into my direction. Every step he took made me ask more questions.  
What was going on? Why was he here, right at this precise moment? Where was Bella? Where were the others? What had he done?  
My head swirled when he came to a stop right in front of me. it was silent again, tense.

"E-Ed-w-ward.." I stuttered, the tears were still streaming down in flow down the soft cushions of my pinked cheeks.  
"Melody.." he sighed, holding up his hand, like he wanted to touch me, but didn't.

"Edward, please tell me what's going on! I'm feeling so distraught about all this…Where's Bella? Where are the others? Please!" I pleaded, my golden eyes trying to convince him to tell me the truth. He didn't say anything.  
"Please?" I begged again, laying my wet, ice cold hand against his chest. The action seemed to startle him somewhat since I felt the muscles underneath twitch.  
He looked me deeply in the eyes and started telling me, very fast and strained.

"Melody…I..we…we have to leave. Carlisle is supposed to be much older than he looks like. It won't take long before people startto get suspicious…And w – "  
"Stop those nonsense! That's a lie! I want the truth!" I'd raised my voice, feeling angry all of the sudden because he was telling me lies. This wasn't the reason why, it couldn't be. If it was, they would've left eventually but not like this, without any goodbyes.

"you want the truth!? You want to hear, that we left because we're dangerous for you!? Well, Melody I can tell you but you won't listen! You'll say we're not, that we can perfectly live all together. You saw what happened that evening! You fucking felt it when the glass cut through you flesh! We. Are. Dangerous! And I won't let no one of us hurt you anymore!" he yelled now, his fierce eyes making him look evne more beautiful. The words, however cut through me like a sharp blade.

"Do I mean that _less_ to you!? That you 'just leave' me without a fucking word!? Without any explanation? Because you_ think_ it's best for me?" I screamed back, sticking my pointer finger against his chest each time I'd finished a sentence. What I'd said only seemed to fuel his anger.  
"Melody, I_ know_ what's best for you! You are not safe with us! you need to let go! Bella did." he screamed back at me, making me wince and taking a step back as I started sobbing again.  
"What do you mean?" my voice had taken a softer pitch again, almost whispering.

"I broke up with her. That's why she probably isn't home yet. she believed me. and you should too. I am _not _good for you." He explained, expressing every word slowly and clear. I nodded, feeling my heart break once again. it never seemed to stop.

"You don't belong in my world Melody. You're human, I'm not. You age, I don't. You have a soul and mine is damned. Please listen to me once! It's for your own safety. I want you to have happy life. Without me. "

Everything around me started spinning. No. This wasn't happening. He wasn't doing this to me. How I wished this was just another nightmare. There was only one hope left.

"Edward, I…I do! I do belong with you! In every sense of the word! I'm not hu– " I wanted to tell him, tell my secret. It was the only way to keep him here. But he cut me off.  
"No, I don't want to hear it. you can't convince me anymore. I've made my decision." He said, whispering now as he tilted my hand, that still lay on his chest away.  
I felt numbed. Lifeless. Nothing. He'd already left me, even though he was still standing there. He was breaking the fragile connection we had, that little piece of the mating-bond we already developed. He broke it. It ripped me apart.  
I didn't say anything, not able to speak, just staring into nothing, my sight slightly blurred.

Suddenly, his cold hands took hold of my neck, beneath my long hair that was now dripping with the water that fell with buckets out of the sky. His thumb stroked my cheek, as one other teardrop made its way down. his face was incredibly close to mine.  
"I'm sorry that I want this, but it's the one, only and last thing I'll ask before I leave." He whispered. I kept looking at him, questioning and dazed. He seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, still stroking my cheek. His sunrise eyes meet mine again and then I see the certainty flickering. Before I could even ask, think or act on anything, his cold lips pushed against mine.


	21. 20 -- Melody Swan

**Allright! Let's get to the lemons! :D *smirks* Well, the actual Lemon is in the next three chapters. this is just a push in the right way! ;)**

**it's the first time for me to write such a thing, so I'm enormously curious about your reactions! **

**Enjoy!**

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I froze – something in the back of my mind wanted to stop it. but my heart didn't. everything in me screamed to give in and stop thinking for a while.  
I relax myself, letting it happen and trying to kiss him back. I noticed his hand grabbed my hair and I followed by doing the same. I reached upwards, taking a handful of his soft, bronze locks into my tiny hands. His lips caressed mine in the most sensual way, his nose brushing mine.  
The last chance._ Our_ last chance.  
Our kiss quickly changes from soft and innocent to intense and desperate. When I heard Edward moan against my mouth I lost every single train of thought.

The pain seeped between our lips, during the fervently fight and fear for the loss we were going to face later on.  
I would never see him again.

Abruptly, we weren't outside anymore. It was warm, dry and the light was sharp. I let go of Edward's lips and took in my surroundings.  
We were in his room.  
I looked around, seeing a soft light standing on his bedside table, next to his huge king-sized bed. I didn't knew he had one.  
I couldn't stop the blush the warmed my cheeks as I gasped for breath, still dizzy from the kiss we shared. I look him right in the eye, "Why – "

Edward was insatiable. I couldn't even ask him why we were in his room and why he wanted this because his lips already claimed mine again.  
I wanted to know why, and if he wouldn't regret the obvious step we were about to take. I didn't get why he never wanted this with Bella – they didn't even kiss this way. Her mind was clear enough about that. Was there a possible chance that he actually wanted me? Was this a test? To make sure if he'd chosen the right sister?  
I was getting mad with questioning myself.

When Edward started to raise my wet T-shirt, every rational thought left my overactive mind. His hands were at my face, my neck, my hair, my arms, my back. It was overwhelming.  
His icy hands were laying tentatively at my scorching waist. My body was on fire, while we kept kissing, only taking time to breath fewer breaths before claiming each other again.  
Edward shoved the material over my bra, revealing the nude colored lace that covered my breasts. He let go of my lips to tug the damp material of my shirt over my head and arms, freeing me.  
He started to softly kiss alongside my neck, my collarbones as I gasped the whole time, trying to control myself.

Nervously, not really knowing what to do, I started to open his shirt revealing his muscled chest for me, inch by inch. Edward kept kissing me on several places above my shoulders, as I pushed his shredded shirt down his arms, my fingers trembling. He let the garment fall on the floor, his eyes burning black now.  
I felt something tighten in my belly at the way he looked at me, while my face started to get redder than red. I placed my hands on his chest, mesmerized by the temperature and the way he was chiseled. I'd never seen so much beauty in a man – from inside and out.

Edward's hands enclosed my waist again, before meeting my lips with an intensity that made me moan softly.  
Our hands were everywhere , touching caressing and exploring. Edward smoothed his hands over my curves making me feel so special. As if I was the only one existing in his world. But he'd said the opposite. I whimpered as the pain once again struck me, pushing my lips even more fervent against his. Hesitating and torturing slow, I felt Edward's hand slide to the clasp of my bra. I gasped against his mouth, never expecting that I wanted him to open it.  
Edward stopped kissing me, resting his head against my forehead, asking me for permission with his eyes. I looked back, nodding.

_I wanted this._

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**Sooo...? like it so far? I hope you'll reward me with your reviews! I'd love to know your thoughts! ^^**


	22. 21 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: maybe I'm mean to seperate the whole scene into four chapters...^^ sorry for that, but you know, you keep getting curious for the next! :D**

**So we move on...**

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_I wanted this._

That realization made my belly tighten again while the peaks on the tops of my breasts hardened as his other hand left a trail of goose bumps alongside the outlines of the mounds. Kissing my neck once more, he opened the clasp and I immediately felt the material loosen from my body.  
His musician fingers, gently peeled of the straps from my shoulders and I breathed his name in wonder, when the nude-colored lace fell down my arms, in a pile at my feet.  
"Edward…"

He silenced me by claiming my lips in a searing kiss, growling in which I thought was an appreciating manner. I gasped for air when I felt a rush of wetness seep into my panties. Edward growled loudly – He'd probably smelled it. I wanted to shy away from him, feeling not so sure so all of the sudden. He wouldn't let me though.

He pushed me closer to his chest, and I went wild at feeling nothing than skin against skin. It was pure heaven. I whimpered when Edward started exploring my breasts, ghosting his hands over the soft scorching flesh. I grabbed hold of his neck and hair with both hands, standing on my toes to be able to reach him. In a brave move, Edward brushed his thumb over my nipple, making it even harder. My eyes rolled back as I arched myself towards him, unconsciously, letting out a higher pitched moan. I never knew such a simple touch could electrify my body, sending shocks through my veins.  
He kept toying with the rosy buds for a while, making me whimper and groan every time he hit a right spark. His kisses were something I'd never grow tired of. The feel of his lips dancing with mine was utter perfection.  
When he stopped his ministrations at my chest, and held back his head, I opened my eyes to look at him.

What happened it that moment only could be described as magical. I saw everything in his eyes. His pain, his rage, his worries , his honesty. I was able to look right into his soul, even though he claimed he didn't have one. But I had the proof right here. I was sure he saw mine. I was positive he could see my pain, rage, worries and my not so pure side reflected in his. It's like we melted together. We were made for one another, not able to live apart.  
But we had to. We needed to survive it.

Golden eyes looking into golden eyes, like watching a beautiful sunrise.  
Dark together with dark, haunted by the ghosts of both our pasts.  
And Myth smoothing with Myth.

I was overpowered by strong emotions, so strong it was almost unbearable. A tear slipped down again, caused by the overwhelming moments we were sharing right here. If I thought before that I loved Edward I had been entirely wrong.

Now I saw it. Now I finally understood. Now I really felt how much I actually loved him. So much that it hurt.  
Because this was my destiny, and tonight were my magical hours of that mating process that each of my siblings went through. And_now_ I could finally begin to understand where they always were talking about.

Because Edward was _my_ soulmate. My equal, my other half.  
And now it was my chance to show him how much he was needed in my life.

"Sshhh, don't cry baby, please don't cry." He whispered his hands wiping the thick tears away. his voice broke and I swear his eyes were a bit glassy, even though he wasn't able to cry.

"Edward, please…" I whined, not knowing exactly where I pleaded for. I tugged his head towards me and he easily gave in. Done were we with the soft, shy and gentle touches. My feelings were to huge for that. I kissed him harder as he pulled me up against him with a hungry intensity, insatiable and greedy, and his voice caught in his throat, little sobs all stuck between us.

I pulled at him, and suddenly, all the ways that we had touched in the past were not enough. the sweet friendly hugs, the simple rub on the shoulder, the comforting strokes in my hair. I was desperate for more. There was no ease, no sweetness in this kiss as there had been before. There was no innocence, but need , anger and pain and devastation. We were grasping onto what little we could, for as long as it lasted.

It would be the first and the last time for us. It was now or never again. And never in the name of living forever, was a _excruciating _long time.

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**Please review and i'll update! ;) ~Lexi**


	23. 22 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: Hi! back again!**

**for this chapter once again; LEMONS! be warned for adult situations! ;)**

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Edward started to walk backwards, holding me to him, until he popped down on his bed. I crawled into his lap, clawing and climbing even further into him, my jean-clad legs on either side of his hips, and suddenly there was too much between us – too much space, too much depth, too much clothing, even though the upper parts were already shed.

I wanted to make love to him, to show him with my body how much a part of me he was. How much I really did belong to him and his world. I'd lusted after him before, craved him, wanted him in this way, but never so strong before. It was less want and more need, like being one with him was as necessary as breathing for a human, or quenching one's thirst.  
His lips melded with mine, and the electricity that always existed between us seemed to ignite me. He was panting harshly, and so was I. My hands couldn't get enough of him, her cold, marble but soft flesh under my palms just barely not enough to satisfy my desires. I ran my fingers up his biceps and over the length of his back, and through his wild hair that I loved so much since that first day. I couldn't pull him near enough.  
He felt it too, because he pulled away, just enough that I could speak, his lips dancing over mine. Our eyes met as I tugged at the offending material of his dark, torn jeans.

"This needs to – " I started.  
" – come off," He finished breathlessly. He placed his hands over mine, squeezing my fingers to grip the buttons of his jeans, and together, pulled them open. He stopped me form going further and for a minute I was afraid we'd gone to far. That he regretted this.  
Instead he kissed me over my cheek and down my jaw and neck again following the path over my smooth, bare shoulders, creating a trail with his lips, calming me somewhat. My body was aching for him, needing him in a way that made my blood feel unimportant. Like the steady, hypnotic rhythm of a drum, he was pulsing to my beat.  
"So beautiful," he murmured against the top of my shoulder. I felt so electric, so warm and real in his arms. So alive for the firsttime in years.  
My breathing sat stuck in my throat when I felt he was already ready for me. He was hard and wanting, my body pulsing like a heartbeat to get to him. his smell, his body, his soul – the intensity of desire made me sway. And I knew, that in no time at all, I would not be able to stop the progression of my need for him, I was already gone too far, having stopped thinking rational a whole while ago. We were at a line, ripping and arching and nearly tumbling over it. Soon, we would be too far, and there would be no going back.

"Melody, tell me you don't want this and I'll stop. I won't be able to stop on my own." He said softly, strained. I shook my head, clearing my mind to think of a good answer.  
"Edward…I – I ..I want this. I need this, or I won't be able to let you go.." I choked, nearly drowning from the pain, lust and love I was all feeling at the same time. He looked me in the eyes again and nodded, letting me lead as I was willing to do so. It wasn't long before this wasn't enough for us, not enough naked flesh, not enough contact, or rocking or teasing or desperate pleasure...just not enough. I groaned in what sounded like frustration and pushed him down. My hands were hard on his chest, and I spread my fingers over the muscles there and kneaded him. we still sat on the end of his bed, he underneath me while I was pinning his hips down with my own. I started to rock my center against him, rolling myself against him with such insanity. He felt so huge and I was praying we would fit. He rocked back into me, letting me ride the pulsing hardness between us, with almost-uncontrollable energy. He held my hips, squeezing there and guiding me because my hands were uncontrollable. I bend down to kiss him againcapture his lips into a passionate kiss. l felt Edward reaching up to cup my breasts, feeling the peaks of them tighten and tense. I whimpered as my eyes shot back down and locked onto his.

"Ah, Edward," I sighed, all breathy and aching and girlish, like it was hurting me not to have more. It did, I wanted more, needed it. Edward hissed, the combination of my heat and his name and the dangerous sensuality in my voice almost too much for him.  
"I need more, Edward. Please." I pleaded. He nodded, rolling us over, startling me somewhat.


	24. 23 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: Pfew! *fans herself* the last bit of Melward sexcapade! ^^ LOL**

**Hope u liked it, and i'm curious about that : I've never written a lemon before!**

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Hovering above me, he popped the button of my wet jeans and peeled the clothing down my leg slowly, so achingly slow, revealing soft, untouched skin inch by inch. He moved down with the fabric in his hands, kissing my hip, then my thigh, and the inside of my knee. I watched him kiss me down my body, as I lay there with half-closed, lustful eyes and taking shallow breaths. My fingers were spread and my palms pushed into the bedspread, the only thing that was keeping me where I was.  
"Edward," I whispered. My voice shook with need. "My God, Edward."

Edward tossed my jeans a side, adding the fabric to the growing pile of clothing on the floor and climbed over me, kissing his way up my other leg. His butterfly kisses were making me remember our first kiss. I held my breath as he came close to the place where I was all wet, womanly and needy for him, but he passed the area.  
I sat up, my hands back on his chest, letting him know it was my turn. Blushing again, I reached for the waistband of his open jeans, pushing it down his hips.  
I froze when I saw he wasn't wearing anything underneath it. I swear that if I had known that before, I wouldn't have been able to sit next to him at all during the classes we shared.  
He helped me to get him out of the garment, also tossing it to the pile of clothing that lay abandoned on the floor.  
I didn't dare to look at his manhood that had been straining against his jeans only moments earlier. Edward didn't hesitate anymore when he hooked his fingers into the sides of my thong, tugging it down my legs. Before I knew it, I lay bare before him, and I totally freaked me out and made me slick with anticipation at the same time.

His lips met mine again, while he gently spread my legs. My heart bounced erratically in my chest, so loud that I was sure you would be able to hear it from miles away. I was positive Edward would.  
He stopped kissing me, holding my face in his hands like I was to most precious thing in his world. For that moment I made myself believe it was true.

Then, he pressed into me slowly, stretching me in ways I never thought possible. It hurt a lot and I cried out a little with each inch, wanting him to stop and go on all the same. I gasped and clutched onto him tighter, I squeezed him with my hands while I squeezed him with the muscles from inside me as well, making him groan and clutching his jaw together. I gritted my teeth because of the searing burn inside me.

It was too much, so much pleasure, pain, heat and friction , that I had to fight to control the screams and cries I wanted to let out. I was so unprepared for it, in the tingling jolts of pleasure or the intense and stinging pain that shot through my lower regions. It felt amazing and agonizing at the same time. And he hadn't even completely filled me yet.

He went further into me, stretching me more and more and moaning incoherent things. The sound of my name falling from his lips did wonderful things to my aroused state. When he reached my barrier, the one and only thing that separated us from becoming on, he pushed on without warning, forcefully breaking through it. I couldn't hold back the painful cry this time.  
"Aah!" I screamed, my voice hoarse and scratchy. Edward quickly glanced at my face, debating what he should do.  
He pulled out but I stopped him.  
"No, no! don't! please, keep…going.." I breathed, swallowing the pain. Edward searched my face for a few seconds before nodding again.

He started rocking against me, our hips, and lips, meeting each aching and the electric currents grew brighter as they pulsed down and through me, touching further and further around my back and up my spine and down around again to the place where we were joined.  
Each time he entered me we'd cry out, moan or whimper. Each time the sounds he made , fueled my aroused feelings and tightened the coil inside me.  
Our breaths and love-sounds created a symphony of its own. The way we moved, arching, pushing, grabbing, creating the most sensual and erotic dance choreography existing.  
"Edward! Yes! Oh.. my…"  
"…Fuck! Melody..I – I never thought this…you, you're.. so exquisite.."

It grew frantic, fast, and unbelievably more hot. I was afraid I might break, or break the connection between us, from the way that I simply couldn't get enough. We were wild. Fast. Wet. slick. We moaned and sighed. I whispered his name in reverence, over and over, because my worship of him was not enough. Each little noise pulled at me more than the next, broke me, battered me...healed me.  
The coil inside me was close to snapping and I noticed Edward wouldn't hold it out much longer either. The way he looked, moving with me in pure bliss was a sight to behold. Something I'd never forget.  
"Edward, I'm – " my breathing stuck in my throat as he hit the right spot inside me, making me throw my head back once again.  
"I know, Mells, I feel you….let go for me, love!" he growled

That did it. I snapped, exploded. The double meaning in his words hitting me like a wrecking ball. Like dancing in a dark field of fireflies, or a quiet rain through the canopy trees that echoed over the solace there. Like cool keys under my fingertips and music lilting through the air, a sweet lullaby that was every good thing in the world. It was like swimming in the center of the ocean and running over the mountaintops where the air was too thin, kicking up soft powder in my wake. It was like drinking deeply from a pulsing vein, like feeling life slip through my fingers. There was deep pleasure, blinding agony, immense joy and desperate fear. I was losing him. We'd never be one again, like this, like lovers, mates. He wanted me to let go, let go off him. He wanted me to have a happy life, something I couldn't have without him. But, this, those feelings were so overwhelming, so powerful.  
Fire tore up my spine, as I my inner muscles clamped down on him. I screamed his name, not able to keep control over myself anymore. I lost it, completely lost it.  
Not long after, Edward's harsh thrusts were getting irregular, as he neared his climax. His loud growl made my inner lips twitch once more, before my body relaxed against the soft mattress of his bed.


	25. 24 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: Hi! glad u liked the lemon? ^^**  
**I'm getting some thigns about short chapters an to be honest - yeah, they're short. **

**So, I hope this is more of your 'length-taste' in chapters!**  
**Enjoy!**

* * *

Only heard in the room was our fast, erratic breathing, my fast beating heart and a few chaste kisses we shared. We lay there for a while, just breathing, holding onto each other for dear life, during the last minutes had together before he'd leave.  
At some point he murmured something about being too cold and heavy. Apparently I'd started shivering like crazy. Edward pulled out of me and I cringed at the stung from inside. When he rolled off of me, I saw his hand clench the headboard behind him in a vice grip as his breathing fastened once again, but not from arousal.  
And that's when I noticed the warm liquid between my legs.  
I was bleeding quite much.  
I quickly squeezed my legs together, trying to find a way to free him from the scent. It was helpless of course, but I had to do something. We obviously never smelled it after he made me lose my virginity.  
"Edward, I'm…" I began, feeling guilty because he was pained. His pain was my pain now. it was one of the aspects of mating – the connection that'd reach as far as needed.  
"No, Melody, don't. I was expecting it." he whispered, his voice hoarse, probably me from the screaming he just did. I blushed a bright red for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.

I nodded vaguely as realization dawned down on me. We just had sex. Amazing, painful but intoxicating sex. I was no virgin anymore, no little girl any longer. He'd made a woman of me.

And after tonight, after we'd shared ourselves in the most beautiful and intimate way possible, it was over. We were over before it had even started. My head began to burn as the tears wanted to break free for another round.  
I didn't want to leave, I never wanted to. But I had too. I glanced sideways, to the man beside me, still naked, glorious and troubled. His eyes were closed but the tension was very obvious in his face.  
It was Edward who pulled me towards Forks in the first place, it was Edward who made my days worth living again after all the horrible words I'd heard from the woman that once gave birth to me. It was Edward that lightened a fire, a fire inside me that would make me do everything to keep him with me, safe. But he had just as quickly extinguished it.  
It was time to face reality, the outside world and to think of what was happening outside of the bedroom where we gave ourselves to one another. But not wholly – He wasn't giving me everything and what I wanted was his cold, stoned heart to love me back.  
And he didn't even know. Edward didn't know I was his in every way.

Unwilling and still raw from the impassioned moments before, I sat up and left the huge bed, that now was covered I blood and partially broken at the sides. I stifled a gasp at the sight of pieces that were clawed out of the wooden sides. Without looking at him, even though I felt his eyes on me, I started to gather my wet clothes. I blushed crimson when I realized I was standing there, naked in front of him. when I'd gotten my clothes back in my arms, I helplessly stood there, not really knowing what do or to find.  
Just when I wanted to face him, I heard his voice from next to me. I was startled by his sudden appearance at my side, covering my breasts and hips with the bunch of material in my hands. A sigh of relief left me, as I saw he'd already hoisted himself into clothes.  
"you…you can use my bathroom…if you like to uh…clean yourself up." he stumbled over the words, something I'd do. I nodded, the redness in my cheeks never leaving. He pointed me in the right direction and let me take my time.  
I dried my hair with one of the fluffy towels, and tried to dab at the sore space between my legs. The amount of blood that had left my body was kind of terrifying to see. I slowly dressed, not wanting to seeing that I knew what was going to happen next. I wanted to make this a precious moment, to cherish it. but there was no time left.  
I left the bathroom, looking down at my soaked shoes, and followed Edward's feet as we silently left the house. On his way down, Edward turned off all the lights.  
My heart squeezed painfully in my chest.

Outside, it was still raining, as we descended the porch steps into the darkness. Edward turned towards me, closing the distance between us for the one last time. enclosing his hand around my face, he looked me deeply in the eyes.  
"I'm so sorry." He whispered, pain evident in his tone. I whimpered.  
He lips touched mine as I closed my eyes, wanting to remember the feel of rose petals when they'd leave me.  
A rush of air, made my eyes flutter as his lips were absent.  
Like a ghost, he was gone. Gone into the darkness. Without me.

_'With a kiss of desire on the lips'_

I expected the tears, the panic attack and everything that one would do when the reason of one's existing left. But it never came. The tears were not there, like I'd cried enough. But I felt like I could cry more than ever before. I didn't panic, or scream. I didn't even made any move to follow him – I knew I could catch up with him, I was fast enough. but it didn't.  
All I felt was the agonizing numbness spreading throughout my body. The same body that had been set on fire moments earlier. Only the tingles from numbness that settled underneath my skin, were left of him.  
I just stood there, unmoving and getting soaked through the bone. I listened to my heart that was beating, but there was no sign of the fast erratic and panicking rhythm. it beat peacefully, like there was nothing wrong at all.  
Every single damn thing went wrong. All of it.

I was lonely, cold and the words he'd last spoken to me cut through me like a large, razor sharp knife full of flesh hooks. 'I'm sorry' was the only thing he'd said.

I was done here. I could stay there, wait or do nothing, but it wouldn't solve any problems or heartache.  
Like automatically, I turned and ran, without blinking my eyes back to Charlie. Not home – Edward was my home. With every step in the dirt laying on the forest grounds, I felt the scorching pain rushing through my veins. The pain was almost unbearable. Strange since I didn't seem to realize anything of it. It hurt with every move to feel the distance, the separation and the thought of being away from him. Especially after we'd made love, like that.  
It was everything to me. even the pain was perfect. Like it was a sign that we were going to face this – separation.  
I felt my body taking on a slower pace, a human pace. My eyes saw the familiar street where I lived. My ears heard the loud voices from the people that were surrounding the house, in search for Bella.  
I came closer, starting to realize what was happening as I felt a single tears brush over my left cheek.  
He was gone.  
At that moment I felt my mind connecting with my limp body again. my breathing, increased just as my heartbeat. Soft sobs of desperation left my throat. My lungs constricted, making it difficult to breath. My legs and arms started to get wobbly as my head felt light. Like I was flying somewhere above it.

I stood in front of the house, stopping myself. There's a whole commotion ranging in the front yard. A lot of men, busy with radio receiving, phoning, talking and thinking strategies. Bella was still missing. I didn't know how much time passed since Charlie spoke with me.  
_'Oh god! Melody!' _  
Jacob saw me, and ran up to me as my sight blurred from the tears. I didn't want him to hold me! he didn't have a right too! Edward needed to hold me, to take away the pain! I wanted to tell him, to run away. But the only thing I remembered, was a loud, heart wrenching horrific scream and some whimpering, Jacob running up to catch me and Charlie's thoughts. _'She just found out.'_before everything around me faded into darkness, taking me with it.  
It was the one thing he didn't want, where he left me for, but what he did after all, without knowing it.

Edward Cullen killed me. Killed me by taking my shattered heart with him.

November light shone dimly through the lacy curtains at my window. The snowflakes that fell from high sky, stayed on the ground, creating a huge white blanket that covered the city. I couldn't make out what time it was, not that I wanted too. I could easily be early morning, afternoon or even twilight. I'd been lying there for a while, just staring at the white ceiling from my bedroom. I tried to remember, to forget and to relive everything that took place the night before.  
I found myself wanting it to be a dream – even the times of pure pleasure I'd been through with Edward. it was earth shattering but never worth his leaving.  
He should've given me the chance to explain, to tell him everything I'd kept away from him as a secret. Maybe I could've kept him with me, at my side.  
I made a move to crawl out of my bed, since there was no true reason at staying in it. And I needed a good shower. As I moved I cringed at feeling my muscles hurt. Even though my numb, depressive state, I felt myself blush. The muscle ache everywhere was probably something normal after your first time of having sex.  
My head burned with dizziness as I gathered some fresh clothes and a towel to get a shower. The house remarkably quiet and I wondered what time it was. I glanced at the clock in my bedroom and gasped when I saw the time. Half past five in the evening. No wonder it was getting darker outside. I must've slept for almost twenty hours!  
The panic was starting to contract in my chest again. this wasn't normal – it should've been the other way around. Scarlett told me that after mating the change would only become faster and more obvious. I should've slept less than two hours or so. Instead I slept the double of one human.  
I tried to control my breathing and to make sure I wouldn't have another panic attack. Entering the bathroom, I laid my garments beside the wash table before turning on the water. I got out of my dirty clothes, constantly wincing when some sort of pain would struck me at a place on my body. When I tugged off my shirt, bra and the rest of my clothes, I gasped when I saw a couple of bruises playing around my hips, through the large mirror. Combining with the scars that would be seated there for lots of lifetimes, the skin of my belly looked like it had been cruelly violated.  
No wonder my lower body hurt so much.

It had been too fast, too rough and he had been too strong. I could've expected this, but the marks only reminded me of him and what we'd done the night before.  
I stepped away from the bathroom mirror in disgust. Not of Edward and the bruises he'd caused, but because of me and how I looked. My hair was wild, tangled and it seemed like it hadn't been washed for days. My eyes were blotchy from crying as my lips were swollen and plump from the fierce kisses Edward and I had shared. A small cut sat beneath my eye on my cheekbone, while a bruise covered some space at my collarbones and the scars on my shoulder didn't do anything to lighten up my mood either. My breasts were unharmed but a tad lower, on my ribcage were bruises spread out as well. My arms and legs were quite harmless too, apart from small scrapes. The space between my legs however, was the place where it physically hurt the most. There were still some blood stains high on my thighs.  
It occurred me, he never said a thing about my tattoos or scars. He'd also been so very careful to avoid contact with my partly wounded shoulder.  
Words weren't truly needed at that moment, but I wished there had been. Maybe if we'd spoken about it, this all wouldn't have happened, then didn't Edward need any reason to leave.

It was actually my fault.

As tears threatened to spill over again, I got in the shower stall and stepped under the hot spray, feeling the water burn my cold skin and hitting the fresh scrapes. I tightly hugged my ribcage, feeling so vulnerable and fragile standing there like that.  
I quietly washed myself, being careful at touching the battered places, and cleaning the chafing and open cuts. Unfortunately, not even the smell of my banana-coconut shampoo didn't seem to calm my senses or make me feel better.  
I didn't know how long I stood there, unmoving and just staring ahead of me, letting water pour down on me. but I needed it – I needed the water to remind me of the rain. I actually needed the bruises cuts and ache between my legs to know we had sex last night. I was determined to endure the heartache to be able to remember he'd been in my life.

When I noticed the skin of my fingers started to wrinkle, I turned off the water, that had started to run cold, and stepped out. Carefully, I dried off and even so gentle I put on my way to large sweatpants and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt. On my feet, I put a pair of thick, fluffy feeling socks and I left my still drying hair down.  
I hugged my chest again when I went downstairs, a little apprehensive on what I might face. Turning the corner into the kitchen, I was surprised to see Charlie already there. I hadn't heard him enter the house. My mind was completely elsewhere.  
"Hey Dad." I croaked, my mouth awfully dry as I squeezed out the words. Charlie's head shot up at hearing me. his thoughts were completely in disarray as he tried to decide how to handle me. As if I was some kind of psycho. I saw how he handled everything, how he handled with searching for Bella. A frown started to form on my forehead and I hissed out of nothing.  
"Melody…everything is going to – "

"No it's NOT! How can you say that!? Everything is ruined! EVERYTHING!" I yelled through the kitchen, startling my father who dropped the spoon he used to mix dinner in the pan. The tears were falling all over again and I snapped my jaw together in an attempt to calm myself. It wasn't fair. How it always seemed to end up in a disaster when I felt at the right place.  
Charlie sighed heavily," just like I told Bella, and I know it's hard, but you have to accept their choice Melody. They're gone and won't be coming back for what sure will be a long time. but Carlisle had a great offer for a job and it's normal and healthy that they choose their family in the first place." he calmly said, sitting down on a chair.

"No…no…please don't say that…" I whimpered, taking hold of the doorpost next to me and feeling a sudden rush of nausea trigger my senses. I clamped my hand down on my mouth, feeling the need to gag.  
"Melody? Honey, are you okay?" Charlie stood up from his chair and went over to me, but I had already pushed myself away from the doorway, running up the stairs a little faster than humanly possible. At the top I wrenched open the bathroom door which I exited through no mere minutes before, stumbling in the direction of the toilet. I fell on my knees and threw up harshly , sobbing through it from the dry pain in my throat.  
When nothing left my stomach anymore, the nausea was gone. I was still gasping for breath when Charlie's warm hand soothed my back.

No words were spoken as he picked me up from the cold tile floor and carried me to my room, placing me gently beneath the soft duvet, tucking me in. he felt my forehead for any signs of fever and left to go downstairs. later he came back with a glass of water, a warm washcloth and a bucket. He placed it all in the right place, before sitting down in the edge of my bed. he looked at me, sighing and started to stroke my hair in a caring manner.  
"You need rest, little girl. Everything that is happening is taking a great effort from you, and you're not able to handle all of this if you keep wanting to make everything right. And I know it hurts you that your best friends left, but you need to learn to get up and live further. Years from now, you'll look exactly the same, and also then you'll need to handle such things. And I also know you've been through a lot already, but someday you'll be the one to laugh last. Because you never gave up strength." Charlie murmured, the emotion obvious in his voice.  
"You should realize that I'm not going let you slip through my fingers. You're very precious to me, daughter, just like your siblings and cousins. Rest, dear. I'll bring up some light soup later." He patted me softly on the head and stood up, walking to the door.  
"Just yell when you need me, alright kiddo?"

I nodded slowly, my eyes still prinking from the salty tears and the sudden feeling of tiredness. Charlie closed the door, and went downstairs to finish dinner for Bella and himself. I still had no clue about how and where Bella was, but she probably was alight. If she wasn't Charlie would've told me.  
I grabbed the washcloth and started dabbing my face, wiping the sweat away and hydrating the skin. Then I settled back into my large pillow, closing my tired eyes.  
I didn't know why, but I really needed sleep again..


	26. 25 -- Melody Swan

I was waking up, noticing the consciousness slowly creeping into me, losing the dreams I didn't dream that night and dodging the nightmares for another time. I slept so deep that I was surprised I'd woken up by myself. Or not. Feeling a faint vibration from underneath my pillow, I opened my eyes, adjusting the morning light and picking my IPhone from underneath the softness. Charlie probably set an alarm. Smart – no wonder he was a cop.  
I wanted to turn around, when a sharp sting in my belly made me jump out. Nausea overpowered me again as I ran to the bathroom.  
I was getting so tired of this – the constant nausea, vomiting and the evil stings in my lower belly. That little bouillon Charlie had forced me to eat didn't even stay in my stomach. After my breathing changed back into its normal rhythm, I stood up and went back to my room. I grabbed a pair of jeans a shirt with a color, I didn't care what color and got dressed. In the bathroom, where still hung the smell of puke, I brushed my hair without doing anything with it. like I cared that the colors I wore didn't match, or that the ringlet curls bounced around my shoulders. Things didn't matter to me anymore.  
I slowly, unwillingly went down the stairs, seeing Bella seated in the kitchen. He face lit up when she saw me but changed in a grimace, however, when she noticed my appearance.  
_'Good God, what happened to her? They shouldn't have left! Edward's just an asshole!'_

"Hey Mells. How are you? Still nauseas?" she asked, a bit unsure of what my reaction might be. I shrugged as an answer, leaving the kitchen to retrieve my shoes and jacket. Once I'd gotten my keys, I left the house without greeting Bella any more. I silently, slowly drove to school without music filling my car. I didn't want that – I didn't listen to music anymore.

[ab]Arriving at school, I parked my small car as far away as possible from its usual spot. The giddy feeling I always had every morning upon seeing Edward, was absent and replaced by grief.  
He could act like I didn't exist, I could act like he died.

I got out of my car, slung my bag over my shoulder and winced another time from the pain. Walking wasn't painless and I felt like walking like a penguin. I prayed no one would notice or guess what I had been doing two nights before. I trudged through the barely there rain, crossing the parking lot and ignoring the stares. Yes, everyone knew yesterday that the strange but beautiful Cullen family had left Forks. And since I was the one looking like I'd been knocked with a car, with all those bruises and cuts in my face, their snarky comments or pity was for me.  
A sudden hand on my hurt shoulder, made me cry out a little. I turned around to face her, my eyes emotionless.

"Melody…." Bella sighed, removing her hand from my shoulder. I didn't reply.  
"Oh, Melody come on! I know you are having a hard time dealing, me too, but why won't you talk to me? it's not like I've done anything wrong."

You did everything wrong. that's the point.

Bella kept staring at me, expecting a reaction but she wasn't getting one. I didn't want to talk because if I'd do, they'd ask me about how I felt. And feeling was something I'd lost control of.  
I shook my head, felt the tears pricking and let her stand in the rain.

Classes were dreadful. The hours felt like decades and history was terrible without the fun stories of Jasper. Biology was to cry about when Alice wasn't next to me making fun about everyone's clothes. English was disastrous without Edward at my side, to quote the most beautiful poems that made my heart melt.  
Lunch wasn't fantastic either. I sat at the Cullen table on my own, trying to ignore all the stares and thoughts people threw at me. Bella's kept me in her sight for the whole time, talking to her friends in the meanwhile. She was having a hard time too, but much less than I did.  
I was practically dying inside.

When it was finally time to go home, I broke down. I cried the whole way down to the house, sobbing and constantly begging why. I thought going o school was a good distraction, but it turned out to be more of a hell than I'd expected. The memories of them haunted me.  
I didn't want memories – I wanted the real stuff.

At home I made my homework and sat on the couch, just sitting there. Bella's irritated and worried sighs only frustrated me more. When Charlie got home, we had dinner. Or better said they had. I wasn't in the mood for eating and just shuffled my food around my plate.  
"Melody, eat something please. It's unhealthy not to." Charlie said, a sad look in his eyes with his mustache turned downwards. I shrugged, knowing I hurt Charlie's feelings, and eventually took a few bites. It tasted awful and I wanted to chuck it out just as fast as it entered my mouth.  
After dinner Bella and Dad did the dishes as I crept upstairs and quietly vomited again. The nausea never seemed to stop.  
That night I was terribly tired again, letting myself fall uncomfortably on the bed. the bruises weren't helping my state.

As I slept, strange things happened in my unconsciousness, making me even more confused than I already was.  
That probably had to do, with a little boy that kept telling me stories about his parents, but when I asked him who they were, he wouldn't answer. he said I knew.  
The worst thing was, was that he looked like Edward, only much smaller and younger.  
He was adorable and the only one to make me smile so now and then. My only happy place in this depressive time I was going through.

_I woke up, blinking against the sharp light of a warm day. I took in my surroundings, gasping at the sight of Edward's meadow. My chest hurt as I started crying again.  
The feel of a soft little hand on my scarred shoulder, made me look up. I was met with the face of a little boy, with bronze hair, chubby cheeks and striking green eyes.  
He looked like clone of Edwards but then in human form.  
"Why are you so sad?" he asked me. his voice was beautiful, tinkling. I shrugged.  
"someone I loved very much left me." I replied, sniffing up the tears, being fascinated with him. like he eased the pain.  
"That's not nice. Let me hug you." He said, taking me by surprise by enclosing his short arms around my neck. I wrapped mines hesitatingly around his back, hugging him to me. when he let me go again, I immediately felt the loss.  
"where are you from?" he asked again, sitting down in front of me.  
I smiled lightly, "from Forks. And you?"  
He shrugged. "I don't know. I think from where my mommy and daddy live. But I don't know where that is." He answered. I felt bad for him in an instant. Maybe he'd lost his parents.  
"what's your name?" I asked in return. The boy shrugged again, before a boyish grin widened on his little face.  
"You'll find out soon enough."_

For days everything went the same. I'd wake up way later than I used too, screaming for help, fear and murder after I dreamt about the mysterious little boy. Then I'd get out of my bed, get dressed not caring what I actually wore and indifferently brush my hair. I would skip breakfast and head outside, ignoring Bella and going to school. Awfully lonely I'd sit through the never ending classes, getting all worked up upon hearing one of their names. Every day at lunch, which I skipped too, I'd sit alone at the Cullen table, just staring. When I got home, I'd neatly do my homework, cook dinner for Charlie and Bella en then I'd site deadly silent and still on the couch in the living room, before going to bed again, starting the same routine all over. I didn't eat, drink and refused to hunt. I felt ghastly and even worse, trying to deal with it. Even the touchable memories about her friend were one. Every picture, every present and every single funny memo message had left the wall in my bedroom.

I sat in the kitchen, looking through the window, waiting for something, and nothing at the same time. I had no idea what to do with my life. As I stood up to do the left over dishes, since I hadn't anything else to do, I nearly hit the ground when I saw what was happening outside.  
Bella had been at La Push all afternoon after school. she seemed to be over Edward and their relationship. She smiled again, went out with her friends again, ate everything she could and mostly enjoyed her time with Jacob.  
Who now, actually was wildly kissing her, having her pushed against the door of the old rusty truck.

I knew it.

It's not like it mattered to me she was with Jacob – let her be, but she lied to Edward. she lied about everything. And now pursuing Edward hadn't worked, Jacob was the next case.  
A sudden crash and a sting at the back of my hand, made me aware of what I was doing. The plate I was just drying, had practically exploded under the force of my hands, which were shaking. A sharp end cut open my hand on the upper side and the blood seeped out. I was surprised there was even blood there since Charlie and Bella constantly reminded me in their thoughts I looked like a zombie.  
But actual pain wasn't there. no burn, no constant sting – nothing. I only saw the red haze that was blurring my sight. I smashed the remaining chards of the plate against the ground and stomped outside, pushing everything in my way aside. I was beyond furious.

I banged open the door, startling them and stopping their actions. Bella's eyes widened upon seeing me. Jacob turned around and gasped at seeing my hand.  
My hands were like claws, shaking and on one the blood was seeping down. my eyes were nearly completely black holes from the anger that almost visibly steamed out of my ears. My jaw had tightened and my breathing was irregular.  
"Uhm..Melody…I ehm.." Bella stammered.

And after almost a month of no speaking, I finally let loose.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" I roared, getting more closer to them in a little too vampiric manner. I didn't care if the dog noticed. Bella backed away behind Jacob.  
"How COULD you! You LIAR! You dirty backstabbing TYPHUS bitch!" I was out of control, so animalistic like I'd never been.  
_'She completely mad! What the hell? Maybe she needs a psychiatrist?' _  
I came to stand in front of Jacob, jabbing my finger against his chest, my voice low and dark.  
"I don't need a fucking psychiatrist."

Jacob's eyes widened in shock just as Bella's did._ 'What is going on? what did I do?' _  
I turned to Bella, "What did you do!? EVERYTHING! You RUINED it! I HATE YOU!" I screamed, the tears flowing down now.  
Bella and Jacob were deadly silent and suddenly Jacob lunged for me, taking hold of me with his strong arms. I struggled.  
"LET ME GO!"

He was already walking towards the house, not wanting to wake suspicious in the neighborhood. I fought against him, but my body , that hadn't had any sustenance, was too weak.  
When Bella had closed the door behind her, Jacob set me down and backed away, before I could hurt him.  
"Melody calm down! let us explain before you jump to any conclusions." Jacob, said, his hand in front of him defensively. I took deep breaths as I felt myself weakening again. my muscles lost their strain and I sunk to the ground, on my hands and knees, crying.  
"Melody, I..We…Bella and I have a relationship. I'm sorry if that…hurts you…but it just happened, alright? And – "  
"As if I'd be hurt about you having a relationship with the shrew. I don't care about you and your pathetic tribe!" I hissed at him, wiping away the tears from my cheeks. Jacob's eyes widened as Bella's eyebrows creased in utter confusion. She had no idea where I was referring too. not that she needed to know. Jacob sighed again, still defensive as Bella spoke up from behind his back.  
"Look, Melody…I know you think this is awful, but really? Edward was the one who left me! it wasn't the other way around!" she started to grouse at the end making me laugh cynically through my tears.  
"Oh, right! And you secret visits to La Push were so innocent that everyone should believe you isn't it?" I spat. Bella's eyebrows creased again, as her mind wildly began searching for a reply. She was astonished that I knew of her dirty little secret.  
_'….or maybe I can say it was for ..a school project? She'd take it right? Just with the right use of w – '_

I huffed," it wasn't for a damn school project Bella, so don't tell me a fake! I'm mean really? Why don't you just tell me, and your next ex-boyfriend here, that you only dated Edward because you needed a new fuck-toy!" I snapped loudly, pointing at her as realization dawned down on her.  
_'Oh Lord! Does she…can she? Read minds? No it can't be!'_

The little lion was out of the cage and not getting back anymore. I was angry, tired and sick of keeping my whole being a secret. Like I cared if she knew I could read her mind. she knew I had known of her lies all the time.  
"Yes, I can. I've been able too since I can remember. " I snapped again, starting to get dizzy from the exertion I needed to give at that moment. Bella's mouth hung open in astonishment, just as Jacob's did.  
"This is getting even more mad than before…" Bella squeaked before she fainted. Jacob ran up to her as I watched. He seemed to really care for Bella. and maybe she did for Jake too, but it still wasn't fair how she'd treated Edward. how she was the main reason why he'd left. If Bella hadn't been in my way, he'd already known of me.  
I sighed, feeling the dizziness take over control in my system and crawled up the stairs, leaving Jacob and Bella behind me.

I had managed to crawl upstairs, which had taken me long enough. I didn't bother to make sure if Bella and Jacob where alright, I didn't really care. When I reached the bathroom I cleaned my bloodied hand, and bandaged it. luckily I was only a small cut which would heel soon enough without anyone noticing it had been there. after leaving the bathroom I shuffled, tired again, to my bedroom and crawled under the duvet, shivering from the cold. I had no idea why, but this all seemed so strange to me – the sleeping, the numbness, the cold. But it probably was quite normal seeing the stage I was in. how wrong I felt was indescribable. I closed my eyes, my head on the pillow and fell asleep for the second time that day, hoping that my little friend would appear in my dreams again. I was starting to get addicted to him and panicked when he wouldn't appear or make me feel slightly better than worse.

I'd just slumbered down a bit, when my bedroom door was forcefully opened. I didn't bother to look up to see whom it was.  
"Melodiana Helena Marie Swan!"Charlie's stern, gruff voice sounded through the room. He'd said my whole name, which should scare me. but if he wanted to ground me, I'd be only happy with that. Apart from school I never left the house anyway.  
"What happened? Why has your sister fainted and why is there a shattered, bloodied plate laying in my kitchen?" he went on, standing at the side of my bed now. I sighed.

"I crushed the plate with my hand, so there's where the blood comes from. And Bella just found out that her sister is a creepy mind-reader. Cool huh?" I answered in a careless, lifeless tone.  
_'She what!? Melody do you have any idea about the risk!?'_  
"Telling _her_ is just as risky as telling _you_, Dad." I snarled back. I heard him sigh deeply.  
"I'm going to explain Bella about it and you'll be with us. She owns us , and especially you, and explanation Melody!" he yelled. I cringed from the volume, what made my head hurt even more. I didn't reply, which irritated him.

_'You're downstairs in five minutes.'_ His stern voiced command rang through my head . Again no reply from me, as he shut the door.

As said, five minutes later, I was seated on a chair at the kitchen table with a wide-eyed Bella and a worried Charlie in front of me.  
Bella's mind was angry, confused and above all, bitchy as ever. Now she knew of my gift, she apparently couldn't leave it to think about new nicknames for me. Zombie troll was the last trend she'd come up with.

"alright, girls. Bella I know this is really strange for you and all, but you need to listen to our story okay?" Charlie began, a slight tremor in his voice, something only someone with supersensitive hearing would know. Bella nodded, still wide-eyed for a reason.  
"Melody, since you clearly refuse to talk much, I rather want you to listen and correct me when I'm wrong." _'And, please no temper tantrums. Your old Dad can't handle those right now..'_

Charlie had started to call my aggressive moments, or better said, vampiric moments, temper tantrums. But yeah…it was his own fault we ended up being partly Italian, mutants and full of the Mediterranean temperament. The quick tempered behavior sat surely in our blood.  
I shrugged as an answer to Charlie's thoughts, crossing my arms in front of my chest and seeing Bella's eyes shoot from me to Charlie. That was his cue to start the story.  
"What just took place, Bella, was some kind of conversation between your sister and me. I asked her something through my thoughts, and she answered with the shrug. People who are not aware of her ability won't get suspicious by just a shrug." He explained, using his hands to gesture. Bella nodded again, her brow frowned.  
"It started, probably, when she was born. You see – " Charlie moved on telling her the memory I'd lost after the accident in the baseball stadium. Lots of my memories from at a very young age, were gone. Of course, my siblings and also Charlie told me again how it went – the same story, a little bit edited, he told Bella now.

It started after my birth. Scarlett was convinced I could already read minds then, because she showed me a memory of me studying them and answering their questions by body language. When I became older and started talking, it became much more noticeable that I had that gift. They all helped me to handle with it when I was close to humans who weren't aware of my ability.  
Before I came to Forks, Scarlett told me it was odious, to bare anything that held our secret. And even while Charlie knew some of the aspects, we never told him the complete stories of our beings. It would be too much for him.  
I'd always been so different, even thought classmates and people I got along with never knew of this ability. When Edward came along, I started to feel that it could be normal. I wasn't the only one. The thought of Edward made me cringe again, as the hole in my chest gaped, burning at the sides.

"So, if I ask her something in my head, then she'll hear?" I heard Bella ask Charlie as I snapped back to the present again. I fought the urge to roll my eyes – it wasn't like she didn't know how it worked. Charlie nodded, looking at me, _'Where did your mind go just then?'_ I shrugged, not wanting to answer.  
Bella looked at me,_ 'So…did they know this all the time? You knew what Edward was thinking all the time? About Alice's visions? Everything!?'_  
I sighed, cleared my throat and spoke awfully soft, "could you please ask one thing at the time – it's a little difficult to follow." I said, with the same lifeless tone where they'd gotten used to. Bella sat back in her chair and Charlie curiously watched as we communicated like this. It made him happy that Bella accepted it – that I was different. I let him believe that was true, since they didn't even know the half of it.  
"To answer your questions – no, no and yes." I said, staring ahead of me.  
"Wow…it's truly unbelievable.."_'You're not a vampire now, are you?'_

I stiffened at first, but rolled my eyes and shook my head 'no'. Bella smiled a little apologetic. She didn't like it that I knew of her plan with Edward in the beginning of their, now clear, fake relationship, but she didn't feel the need to feel guilty about it either. But that was just some 'Renee' chromosome. Renee, Bella's mother, called her frequently lately. I didn't get why, she did and reading minds over the phone line didn't work. I felt my body sigh again. sometimes I did things in a daze, without noticing I did them.  
"Dad, can I go upstairs again? I'm sleepy?" I asked, feeling my eyes flutter close so suddenly. The tiredness came with such a rush. Charlie nodded and smiled a little, lifting his mustache. I used to laugh at it as a kid, but laughing was something I didn't do anymore. I pushed myself away from the table but before I went to my room, I wanted to make one thing clear as ever.

"If I find out you told someone about this, even Jacob, you'll undergo the consequences."  
And with that, I lazily stumbled up the stairs in search for my bed and my little bronze haired friend again. As soon as my head hit the soft pillow, I was out like a light.

_'Hey! You're back!' his smile was so bright as his squealing, boyish voice echoed through the meadow. It was winter this time, snow covering the once there grass beneath me. He wore a soft hat that covered his ears, as a shawl surrounded his neck. On his hands were just as soft gloves, which fit with his reddish thick sweater. He never seemed to have it too cold or too warm, even though his perfectly shaped nose pinked by the freezing temperature. I smiled my brightest smile, the one I used to save for Edward. The boy came running up to me and hugged my legs, looking up at my face, his golden eyes, sparkling.  
'Come on, sit down with me on the blanket! It's warm!' he giggled. The next thing I knew, we were seated on a thick, blue, blanket in the middle of the meadow. As snowflakes cast down, I realized I wasn't cold either. It was really warm instead. I looked down and noticed I was just wearing my pajamas – a white, cotton nightgown with long sleeves.  
'Shouldn't we give each other a name? I don't know your name and you don't want to tell me.' I remarked. The boy giggled again, making me smile.  
'Okay!' he said, tapping his chin like he was thinking deeply. I chuckled and realized again, that I wasn't able to read his mind – it was so peaceful, easy to be around him.  
'Maybe we can just use the first letters of our names?' he suddenly said, enthusiastically. I frowned. 'Okay, mine is M. what's yours?'  
'Call me E.' _

I heard a loud scream as I struggled to get out from under the thick duvet. When I'd kicked the whole thing off of me, I was gasping for air. The scream was clearly mine, since I was back in my bedroom again, which I actually never left. I felt so confused after this dream.  
He looked like Edward, acted like Edward and now the first letter of his name was E. Before I could stop it I burst out in tears, which was new – I hadn't shown any emotion during the past weeks. Deep, loud sobs broke from my chest and I felt like I could cry rivers. My eyes hurt from the salty flow and I sniffled constantly. Wiping away the tears. Why did this happen so suddenly? This wasn't normal – I hadn't lost a tear in weeks.  
I cried further for what felt like hours, but turned out the be a full thirty minutes. I waited until my breathing went back to normal and sat back against the headboard of my bed. I sighed and got out to start yet another day without actually living. I put on a pair of black leggings and a very deep purple cotton dress without any shape in it. I stumbled downstairs, fully awake but not completely able to open my eyes yet, and dragged myself into the kitchen for the every morning pretence of breakfast.  
Charlie greeted me form his spot on a chair with the newspaper in front of him, as I got a bowl of cereal and sat in front of him. I shuffled the flakes around in the milk, without feeling the urge and want to actually eat it. I hadn't eaten for weeks.

The sudden bang on the table, startled me. I gasped, looking up, almost smashing the bowl from the table. Charlie had banged his fist on the table, hard.  
"This CAN NOT continue! I'm DONE with it!" he yelled, his eyes squeezed together in anger with his jaw tight. I gave him a look of disbelief.

What the hell did I do now!?

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed! And please review! I'd be so happy with that! I like interaction with my readers upon the story! ;)

~Lexi


	27. 26 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: Uh-oh...charlie's not so happy...we'll see what happens! :)**  
**Enjoy!**

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"You're going home! I'm sending you back to LA, to your siblings. I already called Scarlett about this. She's awfully worried about you Melody!" he raged on. My face turned in to a grimace. My behavior towards him had been impeccable. It seemed that my plan to leave Charlie out of my depression, had failed vastly.  
"What did I do?" I asked, chagrinned and feeling like I could cry all over again. Charlie looked at me with an angry I'm-your-dad face. Even his ever happy mustache hated me now.  
"You haven't done a thing. That's the whole point. You never do a thing." He went on. I didn't say anything back.  
"You don't eat, you barely talk, you don't even prepare dinner anymore, and if I start about the Cullens you get lunatic! It's unhealthy!" he bellowed. I closed my eyes because I felt ashamed. He was right, but I couldn't help it. Every single tick of the second-hand hurts, like the pulse of blood beneath a bruise. Time passes irregularly, but it does pass. Living like this for eternity made me want to end myself. I couldn't endure the endless, slow drag of what people called life. But if I'd end myself, Fiorenza and the Volturi would win. They'd get what they craved for without having to make their hands dirty. So instead of the easy way, I banned myself to this never ending painful existence.

"Look, it's not that I don't want you here, I do. I'm your father and I love y – "  
"Don't say it." I interrupted him darkly, my voice breaking with the tears that hadn't spilled yet. the hurt look on my father's face made me feel guilty, somewhere in the back of my head. I didn't want to hear those empty words.

"I don't get it dad…do I have to break all the rules now?" I faked innocence. I knew exactly what he meant, but to talk about it stung.  
"Well….it would be better than this…listless moping!" he barked. I cringed. That was a shot right on target.  
"I'm not moping," I replied. I'd wanted to keep all the kinds of sadness away from Charlie, moping included.  
"it's the wrong choice of words," he admitted," moping would even be better. Than it looks like you're doing at least something. You're just…lifeless Melody. That's it. you're lifeless. You don't eat, drink or even hunt! You look like a walking skeleton with a thin amount of flesh covering the bones. There's no sparkle in your eyes. I only see those black holes that suck you into the darkest ends. You don't smile anymore, not even a slight tug upwards from your lips. you just stare." I saw it in his mind, what he meant. I heard how much it pained him to see me like this. My lips started trembling as my eyes welled up with the tears, that now were ready to stream.

"I'm sorry dad…I'm sorry…" I cried as the tears flowed down. Charlie sighed, somewhat happy with the fact I was showing tears.  
"you don't need to apologize, honey, I just think you might need some professional help." Charlie suggested. I thought about that.  
"you want to send me to a psychiatrist?" I asked in the ever lifeless tone and the zombie stare he had mentioned.  
"If that helps you, yes."  
I let out a cynical, harsh laugh and gave him a look of warning. "Dad, a psychiatrist will only help if the person in dispute will tell the whole truth. If you want me to spend the rest of my life in an isolation cell, than I probably should go. I'm not human dad! So the human help won't get me anywhere!" I'd pitched my voice, my temper was getting away with me.  
Charlie realized what I meant, "but you don't want to go back to your siblings either. They can help you with this."  
There, he had a point again. but I didn't want to leave Forks. If I'd go, I'd lose the memories too fast. Then it would be like he never existed. My heart couldn't bear more loss.

Charlie's fist hit the table again. "Melodiana , we both know what's going on here and it not healthy. They never once let hear a thing from them. No letter, email not even a phone call! You can't wait forever to get them back." He bellowed. I sniffled as I felt the sting of the gaping hole again. this was a forbidden subject, and yet he started talking about it. to stay in Forks I only had one idea left.  
"Dad, I have to go to school. I'll go out with Bella tonight. A girls night out." I said, standing up from my chair without waiting for an answer. I stepped in my black ankle Ugg boots and left through the door before Charlie could answer.  
I got in the car and drove to school. Bella was already there since he had to start the first hour. I waited in my car on the parking lot until I heard the bell ring. I didn't want to see the stares and hear the hatred thoughts I heard daily. I couldn't take it anymore.

When I heard the monotone buzzing sound, I got out and struggled to get my bag around my shoulders. I was really weak, which shocked me. I looked down at my hands as I stumbled over the parking lot through the rain. The bag was so heavy. I looked down at my hands and gasped. I could easily see the bones sticking up against my pale, gray skin. I didn't realize I was thus skinny. I snapped my eyes away from my hand, trying to ignore the threatening crying jag and went inside.  
During math, I sat next to Jessica Stanley. She never spoke to me and didn't felt the need to actually say her snarky remarks. She left them in her head. Not that it changed a thing – I heard them anyway. But when I heard her last thought before class ended, I quickly put my hand underneath the sleeves of my cotton dress.  
_'Jesus! Is she that depressive that she starts cutting herself now too?'_ she thought as she walked away out of the door without giving me a gaze. My eyes shot to the place she meant. I sighed in relief, afraid that I might've actually done it without noticing. The wound she meant, was the one form the plate I'd shattered and a few little wounds were surrounding it. I shook my head and tilted my bag from the ground with some effort. I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to lessen the dizziness and started walking to my next class.  
Unfortunately, we were busy with Romeo and Juliet during English class. I zoned out at the beginning, not wanting to hear about the love story, to get back into my daily daze at the end of the long hour. I almost fell over as I slung my bag over my shoulder again but saved myself by grabbing the doorpost. I wanted to get some sleep again.  
When I'd reached the cafeteria for lunch, the nervousness started to crawl my skin. I didn't know why, but the idea of having to cross the room to reach Bella's table and ask her if she'd like to go and do something nice that night, freaked me out. I took a deep breath and stood up, ignoring the stares I got from most people. When I neared their table, Bella turned around, her eyes wide as she saw me._ 'God, Melody! You look awful!'_ she sounded worried but I was having none of it. people close to me only seemed to lie. I didn't react to her thought and came to stand in front of her.

"Hey Bella." I croaked, cringing because of it. Bella smiled warmly at me, like a real sister should. It pained me.  
"Hey. What's up?" she asked in return, eyeing my facial expressions and the hand where Jessica told her about.  
"I…eh…well I was thinking…I mean…what about we go out doing some…sisterly bonding? We can uh…go to a movie or something else?" I stammered, waiting for the blush to arrive, but it never came. Sure, I was partly undead, but now I really started to look like one.  
Bella was surprised by my suggestion, just like the other girls at her table. She thought about where to go for a minute before answering, "Sure, Melody. If that's what you want to do." She shrugged indifferently, but in her mind she was glad I at least tried to make something of it. she and Charlie clearly had been talking about me this morning, the reason for her peaceful attitude towards me. I tried to make my lips change into a small, where I barely succeeded in.  
"We'll talk about plans later okay?" she said. I nodded, "Okay."

With that I turned around again, my face falling in a deep sigh. I only hoped this would be the key to stay in Forks.

My last class for the day had ended and I prepared myself to go out with Bella. she proposed we'd go shopping in Port Angeles and then have dinner. When she asked about dinner she felt unsure if I'd like it, since I never ate. Somehow, my voice agreed with her.  
Just as I was putting on my winter jacket, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the caller-ID. With a feeling of remorse, I ended the call.  
"Who was that?" I heard from behind me. I quickly turned around and saw Bella leaning against the lockers on the other side of the aisle.  
"Scarlett…" I admitted in a soft, monotone voice. Bella sighed. _'Melody, they're worried about you. If you don't want to go there you should at least let them talk to you.' _  
"No, Bella, I don't want to talk about it. let's just ..shove it away and have..fun." I replied, ignoring her thought.  
Since she found out about my mindreading ability, she treated me differently. Of course the shrew was still there when it came to wanting Edward or Jacob, but it felt like she started to handle me like sisters should do.  
"Okay, fine. Let's get a move on shall we?" she said, pushing herself away from the lockers and walking to the entrance of the school. I followed her, almost falling over again from the heavy bag. Damn books.

We drove separately home so we could drop our bags before taking the truck and heading to PA. it was silent at first, but I didn't like it, even thought the silence had kept me enduring the pain.  
"So, how is your relationship with Jake?" I asked hesitantly, looking out if the window.  
Bella looked at me swiftly before answering, "It goes. I mean,…he's acting a little weird since we found out about your mindreading thing. But for the rest is quite awesome. It's so different than with…" she stopped before speaking his name. it was useless because I already knew.  
"Anyway, I think Jake is the one. Well, if he start acting normal again, that is. He seems distant." She finished, looking in her rearview mirror. We were almost there but I didn't feel the excitement of a shopping trip I used to feel. Maybe everything just broke inside me. My emotions, feelings, my senses.  
We started at a shop with normal, casual but nice clothes. I wasn't really in the mood, but I needed new stuff. During hunting over the past months, a lot of clothes became bloodied, torn and messed up. I found a section with black clothes. Black had become my favorite color lately and it completely fit with my eyes.  
I grabbed a few things with the colors, black, deep blue and dark purple. It were just pretty colors, even in my daze I could see that.  
"Hey, do you think this will suit me? I mean, I like it but maybe it's too…smart?" I turned around and saw Bella, also with a stack of clothes on her arm, holding a deep purple, wide blouse with a black ribbon bow at the round neck line. I think you should try it on, Bells. Then you can see." I replied, trying to ignore the zombie tone in my voice. Bella nodded, turned around and went back to the section she'd gotten it, making me frown. When she came back to me she held another one in her hand, my size.  
"You said sisterly bonding right? Well, maybe this is a start?" she questioned. I sighed and nodded, "Okay, let's try it then."  
Together we went to the fitting rooms and I suddenly thought that it was actually quite fun to do this together. We both got a dressing room and tried on the purple blouse Bella had chosen. Underneath I out on black jeans with lots of tears from the upper leg until the ankles. I got out and waited for Bella. when she came out behind the curtain, she started giggling and tugged me towards the large mirror. I couldn't help but smile just a little myself. Now we really looked like each other, even though I was much more tiny and was to equalize to a skeleton.  
"We totally having those! Agreed?" Bella enthused. I nodded. It looked nice and Charlie would be very happy with the slightest progress we'd made.  
We went further with fitting the other clothes we'd gotten from the hangers.

When I got out in a dress that I'd picked out in the hope to wear it with Christmas, Bella gasped.  
"Wow! It's so cute! You really should wear it for Christmas!" she squealed. I frowned.  
"So I don't look like a creeper in this?" I asked back, picking at them hem of the green dress. It had this Lolita style you'd frequently find in Asian countries. It was pale green with white accents, getting an A-shape from the waist. The hem ended upon my thighs.  
"What? No! it really suits you. You should take it." Bella reassured me. in her mind I heard she meant it.  
"Okay, I'm taking it. what about you?"  
Bella wore a deep red dress that fir tightly around her curves. It had quarter sleeves that were puffed and made of chiffon. The creases were spread all over the bodice and fit with the sleeves. Bella turned around on her spot, showing it. 'What do you think?'  
It looked great on you. You should take that one for Christmas. I'm sure Jake will like it." I said, adding y last comment to encourage her. She smiled brightly and nodded.  
We dressed back in our normal clothes and went to pay for our new clothes. I'd gotten the jeans with the tears, along with the purple blouse we both bought. To make sure I wouldn't get too cold this winter, I chose a white woolen, tight sweater with blue Scandinavian print. The dress for Christmas was also in my paper bag when we left the shop. The December air cut in my cheeks. It was cold, probably below zero degrees. It was getting dark outside, the sky cloudy and starless. I cast my eyes down. it was like me without Edward. A sky without stars – starless sky.

We went to a few other shops for jewelry, shoes and makeup. I was distracted enough not to think about him, which made me feel slightly better but worse at the same time. to make everything even more confusing, I felt the urge to cry again. the tears were streaming down again, before I could realize it and Bella gasped upon seeing my cry-face.  
"Melody what's wrong?" she asked, worried, taking my hands in hers in an overly sister manner. It made me only cry more.  
"I don't know!" I sniffled, wailing out the words. "I feel like crying for no reason all the time! it's crazy!" I wailed further. Bella sighed. _'it's quite normal I guess…for what you're going through. It's okay.' _She thought reassuringly. I dried my tears and let out a deep breath.

"Hey, I'm thirsty. You'd like something to drink, too?" my half-sister questioned, changing the subject to distract me even more. I hesitated. I would've said no immediately if I hadn't felt the dry tingle in my throat. My body craved it very suddenly. I nodded vaguely and Bella tugged me towards a small, nice looking café. We took as seat in the far back, getting warm next to the hearth close to our table and ordered. Bella wanted a Coke and I choose a banana milkshake. I didn't know why but I just wanted one. I suddenly started thinking about the weirdest milkshake flavors – hamburger milkshake, cookie-dough milkshake, spaghetti milkshake and I surely didn't forget to mention blood milkshake.  
I was really losing my ever so smart mind here. Why was I suddenly obsessed with food?

When the waitress brought our drinks I eagerly sucked the ice cold milky goodness through the straw. The sucking apart made me think of hunting. I closed my eyes as the first taste hit my tongue and surprisingly moaned softly.  
"Uhm…Melody? Are you okay?" I heard Bella ask. I quickly stopped drinking through the straw and looked at her. Bella held a wary smile on her face. _'don't be embarrassed. I can imagine how good it must feel to finally get some sustenance after weeks.' _  
"I'm sorry…I just..got a little caught up in my milkshake moment I guess." I replied scratching my head. Bella giggled, taking a sip of her Coke.  
"You want to eat something now and then head home?" she asked in return, taking another sip of her Coke. I thought about it for a minute. I glanced at my wristwatch, seeing it was past seven. We'd been shopping pretty long.  
"sure." I said, grabbing the menu from the table. I should eat, I wanted too. Hell how many delicious food can you place on one menu card! It's not fair. After a while I chose for a small chicken burger, hoping my stomach wouldn't reject it. Bella ordered a chicken burger also, along with salad. We chatted about normal things, not touching the 'forbidden' subjects. When I smelled the food, I was done for. Bella chuckled at my sudden silence as I followed the burger. I was getting absolutely crazy. When the plates stood in front of us and the waiter left, I looked at Bella.  
"Enjoy your meal," she said. I nodded and replied with a 'you too', before feasting on the burger. I tried not to moan which succeeded in.  
When I'd eaten it completely and licked of my fingers, I sat back in my chair. I felt my body strengthen obviously and sighed in contentment.

"That was delicious." I said.  
"Melody, it was just a mini-chicken burger." Bella stated matter of factly, with an amused expression. I rolled my eyes. I waited until she was done eating, and let my hands drift down to my lower belly to rest there. when I neared the space just beneath my belly button, I gasped loudly.

There was a bump there, just slightly, scaring the crap out of me.  
"What's going on?" Bella noticed my gasp, standing up since we were ready to leave.  
"I…I…I'm just tired, that's all. I was startled by the scraping of someone's stool against the floor." I told her.  
Off course a slight bump wouldn't mean anything – it was rather common for some teenage girls to have that during puberty.

But why did I think it was something else?

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**A/N2: so...what do YOU think is going on? any ideas? ^^**


	28. 27 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: i read a few guesses in the reviews! but...I'm not revealing anything at all! ^^ you'' just have to wait an see i suppose...**  
**it took me a while because my mom gave me a 'you're-not-allowed-to-write' penalty instead of just grounding me...**

**Hope U like!**

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We were almost back in Forks, the silence in the round cabin of Bella's truck hung tense in the air. After we left the little café, Bella kept shooting me with questions via her mind. when I finally snarled I was fine, she huffed but stopped asking.

Fine wasn't exactly the right word – I wasn't. Let's just say I felt less than terribly worse. Maybe Charlie was right, that I should ask for help. But I didn't want my siblings to drown along with me – they didn't deserve it. I preferably suffered on my own than to poison someone else's life.  
I tried very hard not to think about him, even though flashbacks of the night we shared came back to me, making me realize again and making it difficult not to. It was awful and fantastic at the same time – it hurt too only have the memories, which would fade with each second of a day, but it was great to have evidence and proof that he existed and that he was the one to make a woman of me. I closed my eyes, leaning against the window beside me. God, how I missed him. it was indescribable and could only be told by the way I acted and the gaping, burning black hole in my chest. He'd taken my happy half with him, leaving me with the garbage.  
I let out a sigh of relief as Bella passed the welcome sign. She glanced at me sideways, frowning.

"Before you start to think what happened in the café was your fault, I'll stop you, because it's not." I said, softly, like my brighter voice from this afternoon was taking a nap or stuffed itself back in a dusty closet.  
"How can I think not? The one moment you seem…better. And then you suddenly are back too moping again." she sneered, frustrated by it. I squeezed my eyes. The moping talk again?  
"Bella, honestly, I had a nice time this afternoon – I needed the distraction. It's is, and I swear, not your fault right now." I said.  
"not right now." she stated. "so it is my fault you're acting like this from the very beginning?" she'd raised her voice, hitting the right nail on the head. I didn't want to say her she was partly right – it her fault after all that I never got the chance to be with Edward.

"Bella…not entirely. It's…Edward's fault. " I whispered, feeling the tears well up. it never seemed to stop and it was making me tired. Bella gasped.  
"Oh my God! Melody please don't tell me you and Edward were cheating on me behind my back!" She bellowed. My mouth hung open at her reaction. Well how fucked up is that? Where we really going to fight about this again?

"Stop the car." I said, monotonous and empty.  
"No, you're going to tell me the tru – "  
"I said STOP the DAMN car!"

Bella was startled by the sudden dark snarl in my voice, and did as I said. She parked the truck at the side of the long road, dropping her hands from the steering wheel. I was so, so furious. If she was going to play innocent girlfriend here, I'd tell her the truth.  
"Listen to me Bella, you want the truth? Then you can get it!" I snarled further, sitting more right in the seat. She cringed at my tone and I set my jaw together.  
"Yes, it was you! Because YOU wanted to fuck Edward to get a major status at school! Because YOU made sure I didn't get the chance! And now he's gone! And it's killing me!" I yelled through the small space. I saw Bella shrink away with each harsh word.

"You want to know how I really feel? I'm surprised you even want to!" I roared further, swallowing the tears that were streaming wildly. She didn't reply, only her mind showing she wasn't feeling guilty in the slightest. That didn't matter to me – she just needed to know. I softened, feeling guilty myself for yelling at her like that. It was crude after all.

"I'm tired of yelling." So I stopped to do it.

"I'm tired of crying the whole time." I sniffled.

"I'm tired of pretending that I'm fine, because I'm not."

"I'm tired of being sad all the time, tired of being alone."

"I'm tired of being stuck, needing help and wishing to start all over." I wailed, sobbed and cried.

"I'm tired of feeling worthless, empty and remembering all those memories! And I'm tired of not being able to let all of this go! Because I CAN'T!" I screeched, hysteric. I took a deep, painful breath, feeling the gaping hole sting awfully at my ribcage and surrounding the place where my heart lay. I glanced at Bella with watery eyes. She was in tears too, just a little drop here and there.

"I'm tired of dreaming about a life I'll never have…." I whispered, looking at my sister.

"And most of all, I'm tired of being tired. I want to be myself again, but I can't. not without them. Not without Edward."

There it was. I'd said it. I told her how I really felt and even this all were huge understatements. I covered my eyes with my wet hands, wet from the tears that I already wiped from my face.  
We stayed silent for another five minutes. Bella's mind was a whirlwind but I blocked her out of privacy. She had difficulties with thinking what she actually wanted to think.  
"I didn't know." She finally said "I had no idea that your friendship with Edward was so close. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions so fast."

I sighed. If she actually thought that was true, I let her believe it. without saying another word, Bella started the engine of her ancient truck and we finished our trip, again in silence.

"Hey girls! Did you have a nice time together?" Charlie boomed as we entered the living room. Before I left the truck I made sure to check if my eyes weren't red and blotchy.  
"sure, dad, we went shopping for Christmas and then we had dinner in a café close to the boulevard."Bella answered, feeling better again now she thought we'd solved the issue. Well, it was far from resolved.  
Charlie's surprised expression caught my attention. "You ate?"  
I nodded and shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. Reminding me of food again, made me hungry for something right at the time.  
Suddenly, Charlie's arms were around my shoulders, hugging me to his chest.  
"I'm very proud of you, you know that?" he whispered in his familiar gruff voice. Ever since I was a little girl, my father had been my safe place, wherever I was or how I felt. And now I felt horrible for treating him like I didn't need his fatherly hugs or kiss on the forehead. I relaxed into his warm, human arms and for a minute I forgot the worry in the back of my mind.  
my mind and body were playing some sick game with me. Like it wanted to tell me something I wouldn't want to know.

We showed Charlie what we bought in the shops and he smiled brightly the whole time. it made him truly happy to see us, his daughters, getting along nicely. I'd do anything to let him believe it – even if I still had to pretend, forgetting the tiredness of it.  
I was glad to finally fall down on my bed. my body molded with the soft mattress and my eyes fell close immediately. I missed my sleep today and now I could catch up with it. I discarded of my clothes and found a pajama before crawling under and falling asleep almost instantly, forgetting the rough talk with Bella, the shock from feeling the bump and the awful mood changes.

I went further like this for a few days more. I'd wake up, feel worse, but when I started eating I was all happy. I was afraid I might get fat someday. I'd go to school with Bella and we made small talk during the class changes and lunch time. the distraction, food and mood swings made me daze the reason I felt bad. I didn't have to think about it the whole time and I was glad with that.  
What broke my better moods were the constant calls and texts I got from LA. Every time my phone would chime, I pushed the red button, ending the conversation before it even had a chance to start. The text I got, I deleted instantly. I didn't even listen to the voice mails they spoke into my phone. When Charlie asked me about it I didn't answer, feeling myself slip away into the deeper shades of darkness again. I just wasn't ready for talking about it yet – not again.

It was Christmas, which I was celebrating at Charlie's for the first time in years. I had been looking forward to it since I got here in the beginning of the year, but now I felt a bit uneasy when I thought about it. Or maybe I just felt uneasy about everything.  
It was past three at midnight, the white snow making the air light up. Great weather for Christmas. Why I was awake however, I didn't understand. I'd been sleeping for hours every time I even got the chance to lay down – which was a lot. I woke up when I felt my belly tighten, a weird feeling and slightly uncomfortable. The danger of being awake, was that I was thinking over just about everything that went wrong. the unmanageable heartache was something I'd probably had to get used to. The heavy feeling on my chest, like I was carrying a brick wall against it, was there every day.  
I also felt guilty for not letting my family know how I was. of course Charlie already told them the story over the phone, but like that they wouldn't understand it. I felt guilty that I hadn't replied any of their text since I refused to read them. But now I started hesitating. My phone had chirped quite a lot already, announcing the waiting messages. It was Christmas after all.  
[tb] With a heavy, somehow scared, sigh, I picked up my IPhone from the bedside table. I opened the first message, which was from my brother.

**N. : Melody, please! I know you don't want to read our messages, but can you at least tell me you're fine? Layla and Faith miss you too…**

The salty drops were already stinging at my eyes, and this was only the first message. I missed them so much, making me think that I was selfish not to go back to LA. I tapped the screen to reply his message.

**M.H. : reading them now. Sorry. Merry Christmas, though.  
**  
I couldn't tell him what he wanted to know, but I knew that if he saw the message he'd be satisfied for now. I moved on with the next.

**S.H. : Baby sis, we're worried about you! I want to know how you feel and if you're even celebrating Christmas. Please don't let Charlie down and remember you're strong! You'll get through this eventually. Chris and Alana send you hugs. Miss you little crazy stuff. Skye, Chris & Alana  
**  
Somehow I knew that Skye understood where I was going through. When Scarlett and Nathan both mated, she'd felt lonely too. off course I was there, but she was older and ready for a mate. If she only knew what the real story was – that it weren't just my friends, not human and immortal. That Edward wasn't just my buddy.

**M.H. : I know, I know. Don't be, though. You should celebrate Christmas together too. hug them back for me. Merry Christmas.  
**

**D. : Hey, Mom says you feel bad and probably don't want to hear it, but I want to wish you Merry Christmas. You deserve that. X Denim**

I smiled slightly at his message, glad that he didn't listen to his parents for a change.

**M.H. : You too, Den, you too. **

**Dr.A. : Melody, I don't understand why you refuse to come back. It's not like you can wait forever for your friends to return. Sorry if this sounds hard, but your sister and I are worried sick about you. You haven't been like this for months and we don't want to lose you again! please reply, if only you say you've read it we're happy. Adam & Scarlett**

I wiped the tears from my cheek, wanting to see what I typed on the screen.

**M.H. : Adam, don't try to. It's hard to deal with and I kind of get that you're worried but you don't have to. Read your message. **

I dropped the phone on the duvet, wanting to catch up sleeping again, which eventually happened. I slept dreamlessly, tight and restless, as if there was something changing majorly, again. My body noticed, my mind knew but I didn't. I tossed and turned, laying my arms around my belly, curling up to keep the warmth beneath the duvet, and fell asleep for the second time that night.

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**A/N2: so what do ya think? I'm always very curious about your thoughts. i sometimes wonder if my english isn't very bad...**

**anyway - see you the next chapter!**


	29. 28 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: sorry for the delay! :( I jsut got access to the computer again! I hope you guys will enjoy it again though! ^^**

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"Oh….no…" I whined, almost tripping out of the bed, as I struggled to get out. My stomach clenched violently, while I was overwhelmed by a very extreme flurry of nauseas. I whimpered as I stumbled and tripped to the bathroom, dizzy as hell and seeing double. I opened the door, slammed it close behind me and hung my head over the toilet seat. I gagged loudly before I vomited heavily, that it pained my chest from scraping against my gullet. I retched and spewed three times more before it stopped. Still terribly dizzy I sank against the cold tile floor beneath me, trying to relax my breathing and my buzzing head. The cold sweat that had broken out started to lessen quickly after I calmed down a bit. And then just as suddenly the nausea attack had come, It was gone. I wondered where it had come from – I hadn't puked in a few days and especially not since I started to eat again. then I remembered it was probably because of my period which had to start sometime – I wasn't sure anymore when since I forgot counting since…the breakdown.

I felt dirty and everything smelled like vomit, so I decided a shower would do good. I scrambled up from the floor trying to stay upright because of the dizzy feelings and went back to my room to grab fresh clothes. It was the twenty-fourth of December, which meant we weren't going out today or having something special. Maybe we'd do some games or watch a movie together but that was about it. I felt wobbly legged and sweaty so I chose for my favorite grey sweatpants again with a navy-blue long sleeve.  
It was a long time ago that I enjoyed my morning shower. The warm water washed the cold sweat away and relaxed my muscles. And for the first time in weeks, my banana shampoo seemed to calm my senses too. it wasn't that I was happy and had gotten over it – the pain was still there, still gaping, still stinging. But is wasn't as unbearable as it had been. Like there was something that lightened up my world, but I had no clue what – only E. But he had left my dreams after he'd said the first letter of his name. I wondered if I'd scared him off with all this food I ate. I was hungry all the time and just thinking of it made my stomach rumble again.  
I stood under the shower until the water had run cold. Normally someone would bounce the door and yell that they wanted to shower. But it was peacefully quiet in the house. Maybe this all was because of Christmas.  
I finished my morning shower routine by getting dressed, drying my hair and pulling on my warm ankle-high slippers. I left the bathroom, still with jelly-legs and went downstairs, gripping the railing tightly to make sure I wouldn't fall. Once down I was surprised when I saw Charlie and Bella having tea-time in the kitchen. I squeezed my eyebrows together.

"Ah, there you are sleepy head! We started wondering if you were ever going to wake up." Charlie joked as Bella giggled with him. Huh, it was only nine o'clock right? I stepped into the kitchen and glanced out of the window. The streets, trees and everything that could possibly held it, were white with snow and yet it was still snowing. I wasn't getting any wiser with that.  
"What time is it?" I asked bewildered and still dizzy.  
"Like we said, you're a sleepy-head – it's past two in the afternoon." Bella answered, smiling. my eyes went wide. I woke up much later than I'd expected. Talk about fucking weird. But that means that I must've slept for…  
"….seventeen hours!?" I whispered in shock. Charlie and Bella nodded in confirmation. "you did. Strange actually since you sleep a lot lately." Charlie remarked. I stayed silent. There was something going on but what?

"would you like some hot chocolate too? it's snowing outside so it fits the weather." Bella suggested. I nodded at her dazed, before walking to the refrigerator. The one moment I feel deadly heartbroken, then I'm sleepy, followed by being hungry all the time and not to forget I vomit once in a while. I was one complete mess – that was for sure.

Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed jelly, peanut butter and milk. I placed it on the counter. From the cabinets I grabbed the box cereal, bread and chocolate sprinkles. Bella stood next to me preparing the cup of hot chocolate and studied me. 'hungry again?' she thought. I nodded, not paying attention on her as I laid down four slices of bread and started to smudge them with the peanut butter. Bella shrugged and shook her head before heading back to the table where she picked up her book again. Charlie was reading the news paper as usual.  
On top of the butter, I smudged the jelly following with the chocolate sprinkles. I needed more on it….  
I went back to refrigerator and took the plastic package out. I opened it and peeled two slabs of cheese out, and laid them down on the already thick plated sandwiches. I pushed the two empty slices of bread on top and grabbed a plate from a cabinet beneath me to place them on it.  
Grabbing a bowl from the same cabinet, I filled it with milk while I sneakily relished from the Christmas cake slices that lay a bit away from me. I threw in the cereal, picked up the bowl and the plate before walking back to the table. Damn I was hungry. When I sat down, stuffing a piece of the sandwich in my mouth, two sets of eyebrows along with thoughts made me aware that they were looking at me.

_'What the hell? Is there seriously cheese on it? Are you nuts Melody?'_ Bella started giggling, as Charlie shook his head._ 'Well, I don't think it tastes delicious, but at least she's eating.'_  
"Whut?" I asked, my mouth full of the soft, creamy breakfast. Charlie chuckled along with Bella.  
"Looks like it, that you are already priming for your next winter sleep." Charlie commented, still snickering, his mustache happily up high. Bella didn't hold it anymore and busted out laughing.  
"I don't get what so funny? I'm just hungry, let me be." I argued, taking another huge bite from the bread.

They let me eat further, snickering each time I stuffed a piece of sandwich into my mouth or slurped the milk from the spoon. When I'd eaten everything, I sat back in my chair, sighing in some sort of contentment.  
"Wow. I can't believe you just ate a sandwich with jelly, peanut butter covered with sprinkles and cheese! Not to forget the huge bowl of cornflakes. I won't be surprised if you'd start puking. Not on me please." Bella snarked, smirking. I rolled my eyes.  
"for your information; I already did puke this morning, so don't worry." I said back, cleaning the table thinking of what I could do for the day.  
"Again? Are you pregnant or something?" she joked leaving the kitchen.

I froze, almost dropping to the floor. No, no that was impossible – Edward was a vampire and I was on birth control recently. My periods had become really hectic and painful each month so I chose to ease it up. I immediately shut my mind down and stopped thinking about it. it was absurd , impossible so not worth the thinking. I shook my head and stepped up the staircase. Halfway, my stomach went tight again as I felt the need to relieve it.

"Oh come on! not again!" I whined, running up and practically flying into the bathroom the throw up my breakfast.  
I felt like I could hit my head against the walls, when I heard a knock on the door. "Melody? Are you alright? can you please open the door?" Charlie's worried voice drafted through. I sighed and got up to open the door after I flushed the toilet. Charlie's eyebrows shot up before they creased together. _'My, you look really sick Mells. I think it's better if you stay in bed today.' _  
Now it was my turn to frown. "What do you mean? I only threw up – I've done that a lot before."  
Charlie shook his head and pushed me in the direction of the mirror. "Look." he said, making me face my reflection. I stifled a gasp.

My face was reddish and ashen pale – not blushing red, but fever red above the pale white skin. And from the looks of it I was suffering form a big time fever. But stranger was that it felt good. I didn't feel like I was having a fever at all.  
I brought my eyes to the same height so I could look at them. There were dark shadows beneath it and they looked slightly puffed. The color of my irises surprised me – they were still black, but a small ring of gold enclosed it along the side.  
"Huh, you might be right." I said. Charlie patted me lightly on the shoulder, where the scars from the horrendous birthday were healed. "I'm going to check your fever and then you're going to bed, lady." He stated before leaving the bathroom. He didn't give me the chance to sputter against his plans.

No ten minutes later, Charlie had packed me in bed with thick clothes, two hot water bottles and two layers of blankets above the duvet. I was wondering when he would come along with a hat, scarf, loves and ear warmers.  
"Dad, it's Christmas! We were going to decorate the tree today!" I whined. Now I suddenly felt like a toddler that didn't get what she wanted. I was sure E would agree with me about wanting to decorate the tree – it was fun.  
"Melody no. you're staying in bed to make sure you can accompany us during dinner tomorrow and if you get better faster, you can still cook and prepare it. I don't want Jake and Billy to get sick because you didn't sweat out the fever, got it?" he said sternly which meant – no arguing, I'm the boss. I frowned about he 'Jake and Billy' comment.

"What do you mean?"  
Charlie sighed audibly, squeezing the bridge of his nose. _'Shit, she doesn't know.' _  
"I invited Billy and Jacob over for dinner since they are alone this year. And Bella went completely ecstatic when I mentioned that Jake came over. I didn't say anything and shrugged. Charlie said that if I needed anything I should call out for him or Bella and left. I lay down in my bed, looking relaxed but in my head I exploded.

Could this get any worse!? First my sister fakes to be in love with the vampire I really fell in love with. Then said vampire kissed me on my birthday and ignored me. the horrible birthday wasn't even the damn worst but still terrible. Then _they_ decide they don't need me anymore by keeping me on a death end by not letting me hear of them.  
And suddenly Edward is there and decides he wants to_ fuck_ me before he leaves me forever.  
My eyes shot open when realization hit. He didn't love me, want me or cherished me! He only wanted to fuck me! That was only it! He wanted to make sure Emmett wouldn't pester him anymore about being a ninety year old virgin. He used me. Dumped me. and broke my damned heart. I tried to recall any sweet words he might've said but there weren't any. No soothing when he broke through my hymen, no waiting a minute when I cried form the pain. No word after and only an 'I'm so sorry' before leaving.  
No, that couldn't be. Edward wasn't like that! He wouldn't do such a thing. But the memories, the words, the heartache were the only evidence I had to come to this painful, true conclusion.

I silently cried the tears that I needed to let go of while my chest contracted unbearably tight once more. I tried to keep breathing.

On top of all this Bella and Jacob ended up as a happy couple and now the damn dog would be here to ruin my Christmas. Jacob was nice and my friend in a way, but when I found out he was one of the Quileute tribe, one of the wolves, the shape shifters, our friendship had taken a turn.  
The Quileute tribe had its old legends, one of them was the story about the cold ones Jacob told us on the beach over a year ago. The legends said the people of the tribe descended from wolves, real huge wolves. They changed when their enemy was close – vampires. I'd read it in my book, Mythical Humans. It had become some kind of guide to me when I had no clue of what to do. I hadn't touched it since they left though, not wanting to live any further. I still didn't but I had no choice. I couldn't just hurt my family like that. Not again.

It was the most horrible day I'd had after a small week of slight happiness. Even the food didn't cheer me. I kept having fits of nauseas and throwing up all day while the crying moods wouldn't stop either. I had my reasons for feeling like this even though Charlie was distraught. He thought I was on a good way to get over it, get over him. but that was far, so far from the actual truth.

I was never getting over this. And never was going to be a very, achingly long time.


	30. 29 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: hey! it still dragging on a bit...sorry but it's still a New Moon fanfic. i promise you though, that a few chapters ahead, we're going to switch from POV! I hope you'll like it! :D**

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The pain was unbearable. I'd thought that after Edward left it was like this, but I was wrong all this time. it was like they burned me from the inside out. Achingly slow, cruel and above all painful as the worst kind of hell existing.  
They surrounded me in a circle, as snow lay on the ground beneath me. Their black capes drafted caused by the slight breeze of air.  
And I was in the middle of them, waiting, wanting and craving. But they didn't want to give me what I wanted the most. And what I wanted was what they had taken away from me.

'And here we meet again, _Melló-di-anná_.' He drawled out my name, dragging it along his vile tongue. His Italian accent was something that bothered me till no end. His dirty smirk made the hairs in my neck stand straight. His crimson red eyes only seemed to fuel my raging fury. I was lunatic, crazed – a woman on a mission.  
'I never expected to see you here. You are very brave, child, to even try to fight me, us.' he drawled again as he paced from side to side, giving his brothers sneering looks.  
'_Avete avuto da me qualcosa che voglio_.' I replied darkly, my eyes dry from the cutting cold air and the salty tears that were afraid to fall. He laughed only finding all this amusing. I squeezed my eyes.  
'Well, I understand that, _dolcezza_, but we can't give it back to you.' He smirked again as I felt sick at his use of the word sweetheart. The guards, even as his brothers started laughing at me.

'Listen, Aro, give him back to me and no harm will be done.' I practically growled at him. I was so angry, so out of my mind and that only to protect what had become my everything.  
Aro thought it must be funny, laughing as much as he did. the sound freaked me out.

'Then join us, The almighty Volturi. _Allora si dovrà averlo_. But seeing you don't want to, I don't see much of a choice here than to_portarlo con me_'. He grinned, all nonchalant like I wasn't any danger for him at all. But I was and he knew that all too well. I kept staring at him with my angry, hateful and blazing golden eyes. Aro sighed, all an act of course before deciding. His decision was everything that portrayed how he was – a vile, cruel and above all filthy heinous creature. He didn't even deserve to be vampire, let alone 'ruling' over them.

'Bring the boy here.' He ushered with his hand, snapping his fingers together. The evil twin – Jane and Alec – tugged the little body in front of Aro. He only looked at me, his golden eyes sad and his happy lips curved downwards in a scowl. As if he knew what his future would be.

_'Intelligente non è lui_? He's keeping his mouth shut so no one would hurt his best friend.' Aro turned towards him, my only real memory I and of Edward.  
'Isn't that true, E?' Are whispered in his ear. E didn't even flinch – he just nodded. Aro grinned evilly again.  
'It's too bad we can't fulfill your wish. And since M doesn't want to choose what we give her, you have to do it.' he whispered further. E closed his eyes as I watched painfully, wishing I could've read his mind.

'What's it going to be, little boy? _Vivo o morto_?'  
E opened his eyes and I knew what he'd do. My heart sank, my body revolted and I felt like they ripped me apart, piece by piece and limb by limb.

_'No! non si può! Dallo a me ORA!'_ I bellowed, as fear gripped my mind, dazing me as I sank to ground on my knees. I couldn't fight them, I couldn't without having us killed both.  
'Go, child, say goodbye.' Aro ushered, by pushing E slightly on the back. He stumbled over to me and stopped at my knees.  
'E, no, please! We can find a way to get you out of here!'I pleaded, but he shook his head as a tear fell down his now ashen white cheek. No blush, no smile and no sparkling eyes.

'I love you. _Lo ti Amo_' Was the only thing he said, before Jane and Alec grabbed him away from me, I wanted to fight them but before I was even able to shield myself, Jane cast her eyes on me, smiled and the next thing I knew I was gurgling, screaming, whimpering and withering on the snowed ground. The pain was excruciating losing E too, was even worse.  
'_Fino Mai Addio_,_ Melló-di-anná_.'

I screeched, I tossed, turned and cried until two sets of hands enclosed me. my eyes flew open and I started sobbing. This was the worst nightmare I ever had – my body was in physical pain of what I had to endure. And now E was really gone.  
Charlie's hands were around my upper arms while Bella's hands brushed the hair out of my face in an attempt to sooth me. my screams had terrified her, just as my harsh Italian words had. The sleep talking obviously never left.  
"It's alright now, Melody, you're fine. No one is going to hurt you." Charlie reassured me. Bella started rubbing my back. As my breathing returned to normal, I realized I wasn't in my bedroom.

"Why am I laying on the couch?" I asked hoarse from the screaming I'd done during that horrendous nightmare. Charlie frowned. 'don't you remember…'  
"You woke up early this morning, around six, and went here to watch some TV. When I got back from the station I saw you had fallen asleep so I put the TV on stand-by. Bella and I quickly left for a small visit to the bakery to get us breakfast and then we heard you screaming." He explained. I nodded, recalling that I'd woken early, vomited again and decided to hang on the couch. Charlie was needed at the station in the early morning for some kind of issue that needed to be spoken about. I turned to Bella and was astonished upon seeing her crying.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused as I wiped the dried tears from my face. Charlie left the couch to get me hot chocolate again.  
"I...I never once had a feeling that a nightmare could be so terrifying. How you screamed and cried out in pain…I was so scared." Bella said, trying to laugh it off._ 'You should imagine how worried we got when we entered the house and heard you screaming like that. We thought someone was hurting you.' _Bella shook her head to clear her thoughts. I lay my hand upon her shoulder making her look at me.

"Hey, we might not have the best sister bond ever, but I do care for you Bella – remember that." I said, lifting the right side of my mouth as it curled up in a half smile. Bella nodded.  
"Same here Melody, even if you'd think it's not true." She replied, before taking me into a hug.

Bella let of me after a minute or so and sat back on the couch. "Where…was the nightmare about?" she questioned, sipping at the cup of hot chocolate Charlie just handed her. He joined us on the couch. I frowned, shivering at the memory. But I couldn't tell her about it.

"I can't remember most of it. probably the same as the past weeks." I answered her, averting my eyes. Four weeks – it had been four weeks since they left and I already had trouble dealing with that.

The sudden ring of the house telephone, made me look up. Charlie hurried with an irritated sigh to the kitchen to answer it.  
"Charlie Swan speaking." I heard him say, his voice alert – he didn't knew the number. The one on the other side of the line started talking, which I wasn't able to hear.  
"Again? Are they hurt?" his voice was enhanced with an authorial tone, his 'cop' voice.

_'It's probably because of those attacks…'_ Bella thought as she stood up to leave – she was planning on going to the Rez' until they'd come over for dinner that evening.  
"What attacks?" I asked. Bella turned around to face me, her face troubled. She sighed as she grabbed her shoes and sat back next to me again, putting them on.  
"A lot of hikers have been attacked last week. Some people claim they've seen a bear, but I'm sure a bear doesn't kill like this.." she wandered off, frowning.  
"Kill? Those people were killed?" I questioned as fear gripped my chest. This wasn't any good.  
"Yes, unfortunately…most of them did. one survived and keeps telling about a bear." She explained, starting with her next foot and putting her shoe on.  
"What does the police reports say?" I asked, staring ahead of me. I had a feeling, a strange uncomfortable feeling.  
"…killed by some animal." Bella said, looking at me. 'probably the same animals that tried to kill us before summer…'  
"Do you think….Victoria?" I squeaked, afraid of what might happen next.  
"Or that French guy…what's his name again?"  
"Laurent." I stated, letting my head drop in my hands. If it was true that they were back they were obviously coming back for us. How in the world was I going to protect a whole town from vampire attacks when I was so weak?  
"Melody don't worry. The police is trying to catch them." Bella said patting my shoulder and getting up from the couch. I huffed at her remark, "Bella, seriously. Do you honestly think that if we're talking about vampires here, that Charlie or whatever deputy would catch them? It will be their dead." I said, looking straight at her, my eyes stern._ 'Shit!'_  
"blood seems a better word." I said sarcastically, sighing and dropping back against the couch.  
"Melody how are we going to fix th – " Bella was interrupted by Charlie who rounded the corner, putting on his revolver case and jacket.

"Bells, Mells – I need to head to the station. There's been another attack and we try to find out what it could've been. Someone who wasn't attacked left a tip about the animal being a massive black wolf. I'll be home in time for dinner, I promise." Charlie rushed as he started walking to the front door. I jumped form the couch to followed him. Bella stayed behind and wouldn't hear what I'd say.

"Dad, wait!" I exclaimed, following him to the door where he was about to open it. "honestly Melody, I'll be safe – always am."  
"no, Dad you don't get it! let me speak first please?" I pleaded, waving with my hands to explain my want. Charlie turned around, a sign for me to launch out. I closed the distance and started whispering.  
"there's a huge possibility that this animal turns out to be a vampire." I admitted, hearing Charlie's gasp. "please be as careful as you can and search for fingerprints from blood. If you know, tell me and I'll fix this." I finished, swallowing and knowing well enough what I'd just said and what kind of responsibility there would be laying on my shoulders if Charlie indeed would find the fingerprints.  
"Melody, I'm not going to let you get in danger. You're weak, I can see that." He argued, opening the door.  
"Dad, it more risky for you than for me. I know you don't everything about us but let me assure you we use more than actual weapons. Guns won't help, speed won't help, knives won't – nothing. So please if you find this let me know." I urged, my voice strong and sure, even though I wasn't sure if I'd dare this. Charlie looked at me, hard in the eyes.  
_'I don't like this at all – but I trust you. I'll be back as soon as I can.' _

I nodded, closed my eyes and waited for the sound of his cruiser leaving the driveway. Tears prickled and I knew that crying would be the best medicine for stress right now.  
"Melody, I'm going to the Rez'. Are you sure you can handle doing the groceries? Dad left the list on the kitchen table." I heard Bella getting near, so I quickly wiped my face to get it tears free, before turning around to meet her.  
"Oh, yeah sure. I'll be fine. I think it's good for me to get some..fresh air." I said. Bella nodded told me to keep relaxed and left.

I parked my black car into a spot on the parking lot next to the supermarket. Charlie had written a list with what we needed for dinner tonight and I suggested to get it. it wasn't like I had something better to do and being in the house alone would only give me the chance to worry about the vampires that were possibly in town. I was a bit mad, though that they hadn't told me about it – I'm not made of glass.  
I got a cart and headed inside, feeling the heater that blew down on me by entering warm me up slightly. It was really cold outside, the perfect weather for the twenty-fifth of December.

Inside I made sure to get all the things we'd need for dinner and I was surprised to able to find all of it so fast. When I found the row with sweets, candy and chocolate, I was hungry all over again. if I didn't stop eating so much soon, I'd gain weight. I grabbed a can of jelly beans, skittles three chocolate bars and a bag of sours gummies. With a satisfied grin I went for the checkout. The cart was fully loaded and started to set it all on the conveyer. The cashier made sure to get all of it on the check as I load it back in the cart after. I paid with my black credit card and left the supermarket again, already sucking on one of the chocolate bars and forgetting al my worries for the next hours of the day until I'd face Jacob, Billy and Bella again.

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_translation from italian to english _

_Avete avuto da me qualcosa che voglio = you have got something from me that I want_  
_Dolcezza = sweetheart_  
_Allora si dovrà averlo = then you'll have him_  
_portarlo con me = take him with me_  
_intelligente non è lui? – smart isn't he?_  
_vivo o morto = dead or alive_  
_non si può! Dallo a me ORA!= you can't! give him to me NOW!_  
_Fino Mai Addio = 'till never see_


	31. 30 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: alright, i thought - fuck it, let's jsut post the next chappie! ^^ Enjoy...**

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Once home, I carried the bags with all the groceries inside and dropped them on the kitchen table – setting them into the cabinets would be useless since I needed it anyway.  
I'd searched the Internet for a few recipes I could make. In the Swan's house we weren't quite fans of roasted turkey. For tonight I'd go with a three course menu – appetizer, main course and dessert.  
I made sure to get everything set before cooking. I started out with preparing the chicken because the main course would take the longest. I already freed the oven to keep everything that was done warm enough – for everything that had to be roasted, I could use the microwave.  
While everything was nicely roasting, simmering and cooking I freed the kitchen table from all the mess we usually make and set it up. from the living room I brought a small table that held the same height as our kitchen table and set it next to it. over both tables, I stretched a neat tablecloth and placed plates, forks, knives and spoons on the exact right places. To not get into trouble of having to sit next to Bella, Billy or Jacob, I'd made nameplates. Bella and Jake next to one another, Billy at the head of the table for his wheelchair and my own safety. Me face to face with Bella and Charlie next to me, who would face Jacob.  
When I was happy with the result, went further with cooking and once that was all done, I got upstairs to change. Bella would be here within less than five minutes and Charlie had texted me he was on his way home. I was so relived to read he was fine and not harmed during his search for this 'animal'. It was bad however, that there still was any certainty if it was a vampire or not.

Just when I'd pulled on my white under dress, the bell rang. I cursed, walking downstairs, not caring I was in my underwear since I expected Bella and reached for the front door.  
"You know, you've could've open – " I stopped talking my smart-ass comment as I realized she wasn't alone. Jacob and Billy were behind her smiling warily. _'Charlie did say she lost it and I think he's more than right.'_ Billy's mind rang through my head as a reminder I was standing in the doorway in a white lingerie under-dress.  
"Uhm…Melody? You do realize you're – " Bella started, but I cut her off, waving my hand as I felt the warmth of my blush creep into my cheeks for the first time in weeks.  
"Yeah, I know – I didn't expect that they'd be with you. Sorry." I shrugged, getting inside and letting them all through. Bella made sure to get them coffee in the living room while I quickly went back upstairs again. In the bathroom I made up my hair in a sideways, thick, messy fish-braid and applied a light touch of makeup.

When I wanted to leave to put on my dress, I all but jumped back into the bathroom, taking my hair away just in time before throwing p everything that had lasted in my stomach for the day.  
I let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, "Aw, come on! Do you hate me or something?" I whined, talking to my stomach. The minute I spoke, my belly tightened, as if it replied.  
"Well, sorry for the fact I didn't feed you enough the last weeks, but you can't keep blaming me for penguin's sake!" I whined further, standing up from the ground and flushing the toilet. Just as I stood upright and got my balance, a medium pain shot through at the same place where it had tightened. I shrank down, my hand flying to the place beneath my navel and above my pubic bone. It was like someone kicked me there only the weird thing was – I was kicked from the inside.

"What the…" I froze, feeling with my hand over the skin of my belly. I was shocked to feel that the bump I'd felt when I was out shopping with Bella, had grown. I stumbled to the large mirror and tugged up my under-dress until my waist, before laying my hands back on my belly again.  
The skin was soft, but felt hard underneath, like it was strained. Panicking I turned to my profile, to see it. I let out a shaky gasp upon actually seeing the bump. It wasn't huge, but underneath my tight shirts it would be easily seen. I didn't want to believe or even consider it, but that kick from inside weren't my intestines.

Had Bella actually been right with her joke? I brushed over the skin again and strangely enough my whole body warmed up – it was a very happy feeling.

Yes. Maybe. Probably not.

But still – it wasn't possible since Edward was the only man I'd shared my bed with and he was incapable of conceiving children. And I had just started birth control at the time.  
But why then, did I feel like it was true? Why did I _want_ it to be true?

A loud bounce on the bathroom door, made me look up, startled. "Melody? You ready yet? We're hungry." I heard Bella chuckle from the other side of the door. I quickly pushed the dress down and grabbed the green dress I'd bought with Bella, to chuck it over my head.  
"Yeah, sorry I got…sidetracked." I yelled back so she could hear me. I stuck my arms into the sleeves and let it flow around my body, being so, so glad that I'd chosen a wide dress. Even though I still didn't know what it was – the others didn't have to jump in conclusions either.  
I quickly zipped the garment close at the side and swung open the bathroom door. Bella stood by the stairs, in her red dress, smiling. _'Hey, looks good on you.' _  
"You too, Bells." I replied absentmindedly as we took the stairs. Just don't think about it Melody, you can figure this all out tomorrow, I kept ranting into my head as we entered the kitchen.  
"There are my pretty daughters." Charlie exclaimed proudly "let's eat!"

Bella took her seat next to Jacob and I am demy way to the kitchen counter to get out appetizer. I picked two plates at the time and set them in front of Billy and Jacob. They eyed the cakes suspiciously, as I set two plates by Bella and Charlie. The last one was for myself and as I took a seat, I explained what I'd prepared.  
"alright, so ehm… these are out appetizer and it's…crab cakes with Horseradish cream." I stammered.  
"Well, Merry Christmas everybody!"Charlie exclaimed happily before taking a fork and knife to taste the crab cakes. The others did as well and I waited anxiously for their reactions. I needed the distractions right now until the next day.  
To my relief, they all nodded approvingly and I sighed deeply, closing my eyes as I felt my belly tighten again. Thankfully I didn't feel the need to run and vomit. I started eating the crab cakes myself and was glad it indeed tasted good. The main course of roasted chicken and fried potatoes and the dessert of mini Cassata with chocolate that followed where approved too.

The conversation at the table started out very innocent – no heavy subjects and just normal things. That was until Billy mentioned the whole animal killing stuff, looking straight at me.  
"so, Charlie, did you find anything in the woods?" he asked, his small grey eyes looking at me. he knew something. I averted my eyes and looked at Charlie who had creased his brows in worry.  
"No, nothing where we could rely evidence on. luckily there haven't been any kills since yesterday." _'Melody I found the blood prints you asked about.' _  
I stifled the gasp and tightened my hands around the sides of my chair, straining not to splinter it. that would receive weird looks.  
When a flash of memory assaulted me I couldn't stop the small gasp though.

_'Sam! The leech is up to something! We need to track him down before he kills more humans!' it was Jacob's mind, Jacob's memory. The tall guy in front of him seemed familiar to me. 'Jake, Quil, Embry! Paul says he's south! Hurry and rip his damn head off!' he yelled. It was Sam. Sam Uley! The guy from the beach last year when Jacob told us the story about the cold ones.  
The next memory was how they followed the leech. He was dark, had dreadlocks and blood red eyes.  
Laurent.  
Before I could even start worrying about it, I saw how two wolves, a black one and a grey one, ripped him into pieces, before throwing a lighter and burning him into ashes.  
_  
The feeling of Charlie tugging at my shoulder pushed me back to the present again. I blinked furiously a few times, staring at Jacob who stared back. As realization hit, his eyes went wide.  
_'Shit! She just saw! She read my mind!' _

"Melody, Are you alright?"Billy asked, slyly. I fixated my gaze on him, still a bit shocked from what I'd seen.  
"Yes. I think I'm just tired, that's all." I lied, keeping my piercing gaze at the old native American.  
_'I don't like it. she's practically glowing and her skin is too pale – way too pale.' _

For the remainder of the evening the atmosphere stayed tense, and Billy seemed to keep me in his sight the whole time. like he was afraid I'd suddenly do something unnatural.  
The fact that I just found out that Jacob was one of the werewolves, the shape shifters, made me watch him all the time. Did Bella know?

Around midnight, Jake and Billy decided it was late enough. they left as I pretended to have fallen asleep on the couch. Everything had become a vast mess.  
Edward and the Cullens were gone.  
Jacob appeared to be a werewolf.  
There was some serial killer, probably a vampire wandering around town.  
Billy seemed to know that I wasn't human.  
Laurent was in Forks, clearly to find me – now he was a pile of ashes.  
I was sleepy, pale, skinny and kept throwing up everything that came in. Next to that I completely lost my mind by talking to my upset stomach.

And the possibility that I might be impossibly pregnant with Edward's child turned everything upside down.

**-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-OoOo0oOoO-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-**

The following morning when I woke up, I got extremely jumpy – every time I'd hear something or see something move in the corner of my eyes, I'd gasp or startle from it. Downstairs I waited impatiently for Charlie and Bella to leave for the day.  
When Bella finally left to go to La Push, it was just me and Charlie at the kitchen table.  
"How are you feeling lately?" he suddenly asked as I was rummaging through the refrigerator again, seeking for something to silence my growling stomach. I straightened myself, afraid of the question but I knew somehow that he'd ask it sooner or later. Better now than…later this afternoon.  
"I'm…better than I was. It goes. I'm worried about the whole attack thing, though…" I answered as honest as I could. I couldn't tell Charlie that he might be becoming grandpa again anytime soon. I shivered from the thought of his eventual reaction.

Charlie studied my face for any open lies, but there weren't any – I'd improved my 'mask' skills since they left. The gaping hole in my chest was enough to keep the neutral, empty and emotionless facial expressions without being the open book I usually was.  
"That's good to hear. And yes, I understand. That's where I wanted to speak about with you for a minute?" it sounded like a question and I knew he gave me the chance to say no, but I also knew how much he wanted to understand us, our kind and what we were going through.

"what do you want to know?" I asked, sitting down in front of him. it seemed like my breakfast had to wait , even though my belly disapproved. Bad luck for you, Bumpy.  
"Well, I saw how you reacted after my thought about the blood prints. But I had a feeling there was more going on." Charlie asked, hesitating if he'd chosen the right words.  
"Oh that, uhm…it wasn't exactly my reaction to the blood prints. I..remembered something that had to do with a vampire I met in the past, " I glanced at Charlie who tried to act like this was very normal. He wanted to get used to it. ,"he's been one of those killers and – "  
"Has been?" Charlie suddenly questioned with a raised eyebrow.  
"Yeah, well…he's nothing more than a pile of ashes now." I admitted, holding my breath, awaiting his reaction.

"What? did you..?" his eyes were wide open and I was glad he wasn't taking a sip of his coffee at the moment. I'll earlier kill someone when I'm bound to use the Heimlich-maneuver, instead of saving someone.  
"No, dad I didn't….something else did though. I just saw it." a lie. Again. I just couldn't tell Charlie about Jacob and Billy being involved in this weird mythical world.  
"Okay…so, what are your plans for today?" he asked further ignoring what I'd just admitted. It was difficult for him to deal with all this.  
"Ehm…nothing special…I do need to head for the drugstore for…medication and stuff." I drawled, trying to not lock eyes with him as much as I could. I didn't like lying to Charlie about the 'normal' things. Not that this was normal either, but it did happen frequently to girls my age. Okay, well, they were a year older on their youngest…  
"That's good, because I wanted to ask you if you could pick up my medication? I called the medicine-line and they have it ready for me." Charlie replied, glad with the fact I was getting out of the house to do something. I smiled slightly as he stood up from his chair, throwing on his jacket.  
"so, I'm heading to the station. I'll be back around seven tonight since I'm having the late shift today…I'm sorry I can't spent dinner with you Mells…do you mind being alone?"  
"No, dad, it's fine. And for the record – we're family and I'm quite like you so I don't mind being alone at all." I answered. I was actually glad he would be home alter than usual and Bella would be at La Push for the whole night. Like that I wouldn't have to walk in on one of them this afternoon. Talk about awkward.  
"Alright, keep calm kiddo." Charlie said, leaving the kitchen and heading to the front door.  
"Be safe dad!" I yelled after him, slowly getting up form my chair and walking to the refrigerator to open the door.  
"Always am, Melody." I heard him call back before the door closed. I licked my lips and dived into the refrigerator. Food…

After having an enormous breakfast, I sank back in my chair at the kitchen table and closed my eyes. Bumpy seemed to be very happy with having food and so was I. I laid my hands down on my belly and rubbed it, relaxing and sighing out of contentment. It was so weird. I didn't even know if it was possible yet, and here I sat, thinking to my belly, already having nicknamed it and acting like I needed to take care of it.

I opened my eyes again after a while. The bright light hurt my eyes and I believed I might've napped for a while. I held my breath, knowing exactly what I had to do. Anxiously, I got up and left the kitchen to get upstairs to dress. I chose a pair of black leggings and a wide, long sweatshirt that covered my butt. Downstairs I chucked into my grey converse and after grabbing my purse and pulling on my thick winter jacket, I left the house.

Nervously, I drove through town, praying that I wouldn't meet anyone from school while I was on a mission. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this had to be nonsense. Maybe I was this lost, that I wanted Edward's baby, so my body actually started acting and thinking I was pregnant. It happened a lot with desperate women. And I was beyond desperate. Like always, thinking of him set my torn heart on fire and felt it like my limbs were being ripped from my body, slowly, agitating and cruelly. I felt the same when I lost E in my dreams. He'd been my last hold on, the last visual memory of Edward because they looked so much alike.

As I reached the drugstore, I tried very hard not to cry, taking deep breaths. The small parking lot was empty, to my relief. I got out of my black fiat and made my way to the entrance. Upon opening the door, there was this annoying bell that announced a customer, making me cringe.  
"Good morning, miss. Can I help you with something?" the pharmacist asked me in a friendly tone. She was blond and in her thirties I supposed. I blushed, debating what to do.  
"Ehm…I had to pick up my dad's medication." I replied, taking stance opposite her, on the other side of the counter. She nodded and walked back, searching for the meds in the locker kind of drawers behind her.  
"it's for Chief Swan, isn't it?" she asked, with her back to me and still searching through the drawers. I answered that it was, realizing she knew who I was and that she'd also know if I asked for the test. It appeared that I'd need to take the risk. The saleswoman turned back to me and set down the bag of medics in front of me.  
"Here you go, it's all insured so you won't have to pay extra costs." She told me friendly, the corners of her mouth curled upwards in a smile. I blushed a furious red, looking down at my feet as I retrieved the package from the counter.  
"Could you, uhm…show me where I can find…" I took a deep breath and swallowed, "pregnancy tests?"

The saleswoman looked up with an shocked but apologetic look on her face. I feared for the worst but was surprised when I heard her thoughts, 'Poor girl, I remember being that nervous either…wow, it's been twenty years ago already….he's growing so fast…'  
I was still looking down as I felt her hand on my shoulder. "don't worry, I won't tell anyone – we have secrecy obligation here." She said, reassuringly before heading off to a section in the far back of the shop, with me following her. When she stopped I looked up, seeing all kinds of tests hanging there. it overwhelmed me.  
"I need to ask you a few questions, though. Sometimes young girls think too fast that they might be pregnant." The pharmacist explained. I cringed at her words but nodded.

"Well, I take it you are sexually active?" she asked, looking straight at me. I cleared my throat, flushing brightly red. "Yes."  
"if it is possible, how far along do you think you are?"  
"A month." I whispered.

"Did your period lack this month? Or isn't it due yet?"  
I gasped at that. Shit! I had to menstruate three days ago.  
"Yes…I even forgot thinking about it, but yes. I'm late." I said as I looked at her. I saw her nodding and in her mind she considered all kinds of tests that might work best for me.

"Are there any other symptoms which alarmed you?"  
I nodded heavily, "Yeah, I eat quite much and I'm mostly tired. My dreams are really realistic and…" I hesitated. There had to be something more. My eyes widened as I realized.  
"I dreamt about a little boy."

The pharmacist nodded again and picked something out of the rackets. She held it up for me but was reminded of something.  
"I'd like to give you the most detailed test, since you think it's only a month, but it costs a lot. Does that matter or – "  
" I don't mind the costs. I just need to know." I quickly interrupted her, still blushing. The pharmacist indicated by waving with her hand that she found the right one.  
"This test gives you highly detailed information and data. It won't only tell you if you're pregnant, but also how long and probably which date the fetus was conceived." She explained to me. I nodded. "alright, I'll take it." I said, my voice soft. I was really doing this, considering it. movements from inside made me all warm inside. Yes, Bumpy, we're going to check if you're really there.  
The pharmacist asked me if I needed anything else, which I declined and I paid. Cash of course – I wouldn't want my brothers or anyone to see where I spent my money on.  
Together with the medics for Charlie and the pregnancy test deeply hidden in a paper bag I left the drugstore to go home.

I was one nervous wreck on the road to the house. My feelings and emotions were struck between being dreadful, euphoric and utterly hurt. The dread came from the fact that I was only fifteen and probably pregnant without anyone knowing, except from the man himself, that I wasn't a virgin anymore. only the idea of having to tell Charlie or my brothers freaked me out. My sisters would feel kind off sympathized, though.  
The euphoria came from the fact that I wanted it – no needed it. it would be the one only and last thing that would keep reminding me of him, of his existence when the memories would fade. The hurt was because of the same – he wasn't here. He wouldn't share this with me or even be happy about it. I couldn't even reach him….

When I shut off the engine at returning from my sneaky trip, I realized I was crying. I sight and rolled my eyes at myself. I acted like pregnant woman. How ironic.  
Inside I dropped Charlie's meds on the table and searched the house for anyone. Luckily there wasn't anyone to find. With a sigh of relieve I shrugged off my coat and kicked off my shoes before taking the test out of the paper bag and reading the descriptions. It was clear fast enough.  
I had to pee on a fucking stick.  
It's weird.  
I suppressed a giggle of the crazy state I was in and went to the refrigerator, one of my new best friends since the real ones left me, and started drinking out of a can of orange juice.

I sat, waited, tapped my fingers rhythmically on the table and waited much more.  
When I felt the need to pee I grabbed the test, making sure I didn't leave anything behind and rushed up the stairs.  
Once in the bathroom, I pushed my leggings down my legs, sat down in the toilet, stuck the stick in between and did what I needed to do.  
Talk about awkward...

And now it was time for more waiting, only those minutes seemed like hours. I laid the test down on the wash table and waited, pacing anxiously and sighing the whole time.  
What would I do if it wasn't positive? I'd be sad, but getting over it soon enough. but what if it actually was positive? That bumpy did exist? Maybe it was E…or the girly side of E? who would know? Immediately, flashes of a little girl looking like Edward crossed my mind. She'd be so beautiful…E was beautiful. I missed him terribly. After the Volturi had taken him away in my dreams, he never came back. Bumpy however, let its presence known.  
I glanced at the clock on my phone again and saw my waiting time had passed. Oh god! It was now or never, the moment of truth. Biting my fingernails, I slowly went to the wash table, shivers all over my body from the tension. I closed my eyes as I picked up the white stick and took a deep breath before reopening my eyes and seeing something that would change my life forever.

There were two stripes on it.

* * *

**confirmed what we all thought: Melody is preggers from Edward! ^^ see ya next update!**


	32. 31 -- Charlie Swan

**A/N: Hey ladies! because we don't like contstantly reading about a puking Melody, we'll get in someone else's head for a while.  
Captain Mustache!~^^ Enjoy!  
**

* * *

_**Charles Geoffrey Swan**_

Just as I was relaxing with a steaming cup of coffee, during a rather calm day at the station, the commotion in front of my office got my attention. I turned in my chair to see what was going on and set down my cup of coffee. Officer Jones came in, looking quite frustrated. I frowned, not really understanding it. There hadn't been anything special to do today.  
"Charlie, look." he said, dropping the file report on my desk, next to my coffee. I took it in my hands and saw the title – case serial murderer 2#  
"Sit down, Mark. We'll discuss this and I'd like you to tell me about all this." I said, motioning with my hands towards him, that he should sit down. I opened the report and skipped through the first pages. Those I'd already seen. When I reached the last statement , I stopped. I started reading what was written there as relief and frustration filled me. I was relieved that Melody had been right indeed and that obviously our serial killer ended up in ash. There hadn't been any kills since then. The frustration however, was about how we were going to finish this case without being able to do anything. It wasn't like I could conclude that this vampire my daughter knew from a while back, drained the humans but that he now was killed himself by something or someone I didn't know.  
Nope, not a really good solution.

"Charlie how are we going to finish this? There is evidence enough but nothing leads to a real culprit. The citizens want to know what is going on and if it's still too dangerous to go into the woods." Mark babbled. I nodded, knowing what he meant, but there wasn't any way to fix this. I couldn't betray my daughter and her secret – and I wasn't planning to. I sighed as I thought of a right answer that would keep the people in Forks satisfied for now.  
"We should wait and see – it seems pretty peaceful now, but we can't assure people to enter the woods if we don't know if there's another. Animal or human. So keep the citizen out of the woods until the coast is clear enough." I stated, closing the file and dropping it back on my desk. Mark nodded and stood up, taking the file and leaving my office.  
Before he closed the door he said," I'll call Officer Brandon and we'll spread the rule." And he left.  
I sat back in my chair and wanted to drink form my coffee, but as soon as it hit my tongue, I winced and put it back on the table. It was cold. I stood up with my cup of cold coffee and made my way to the coffee machine to retrieve a new cup.

Once the cup was filled with the hot liquid and the heavenly aroma of coffee entered my nose, I sighed in contentment. A man was never happier.  
Well, I was once, a long time ago.

_"Swan! Pass me some coffee will you?" Harry yelled. I rolled my eyes as I hurried to the tap to pour him a beaker of Coke. I set it on the tray I held in my right hand, along with a few other orders and started to give every customer what they asked for. As I neared Harry's table I winced.  
"Fraiser, really? Are you trying to get drunk with coffee or something? You look nasty." I teased, placing his beaker on the table in front of him. Harry Fraiser was my roommate and my best friend. His blond sticky hair clung to his face and his blue eyes seemed tired.  
"No, man, I went to the gym. You know, getting some muscles." He replied in his I'm-so-cool voice. I chuckled and shook my head. I wanted turn around but with my luck and awkward clumsiness, I bumped into something. Or rather said someone. A really pretty someone. I scrambled up high and stared into the most beautiful set of golden colored eyes I'd ever seen.  
In the background I heard Harry laughing about my tripping skills but I was only focused on her.  
"Oh my! I'm sorry! I wasn't really looking where I was walking." She said to me. my face was bloodshot red a is scratched my neck. Her long, dark brown and curly hair hung until her trim waist. She was slender, not skinny and far from chubby. Her long legs seemed endless from where they started from the hem of her pleated skirt. Her pale face held those mesmerizing big doe eyes as her puffy lips were redder than those from other people. She was downright beautiful.  
"Oh..well uhm..doesn't matter. I'm just very clumsy." I replied, still blushing. Harry yelled at me to 'get a grip' and I flipped him on his head with my tray. The girl giggled and the sound made me happy in all sorts of the word.  
"did, you want to order? I'm right here now anyway." I said, trying to stop the blush and making conversation. If this would be my potential girlfriend I was going for it. Fraiser would be so jealous!  
"Oh, sure! I'd like Latte Macchiato please. Do you have that here?" she asked, biting her lower lip. Alright Char, stop being a teenager and act like a man. Damn, I need a mustache, men have mustaches..  
"Oh, yeah we do. I'll get it for you right this minute." I said before hurrying back to the kitchen to prepare her coffee. We were at Starbucks after all. When I'd made her coffee, I searched for her never forgetting face and once I spotted her she waved and smiled. I awkwardly smiled back and went to her. As I set her coffee down, she smiled warmly at me, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that made my skin tingle.  
"Thank you Mister…" she looked at me expectantly as I realized what she wanted to know.  
"It's Swan. Charles Swan. But can call me Charlie. Everyone does." I rambled. She giggled at my stupidity before catching my eyes once again.  
"Well, Charlie. I like you. Do you want to have a drink sometime?" she asked. My heart thudded loudly in my chest as I nodded heavily."Yes, I eh…sure. But what is your name?"  
She took a sip from her Latte and said, "Fiorenza Terra. And yes, I'm Italian."  
_

I blinked, sipping at my own coffee. How beautiful and charming she was. after our first date I fell head over heels in love with her. When she started to behave very strange I asked her for the truth. What a truth I got and how things changed so much in twenty years…  
I was shocked when she told me what she was. I didn't really believe it at first – I was studying to become a cop after all, but my love for her was so unyielding that I'd do anything she want or needed. As long as I could share my life with her.  
Fiorenza Terra was eighteen, just as I was at the time, and she was a half vampire. She didn't exactly know how it happened. She only knew her mother was one too, just as her grandmother and great-grandmother. We were both so very shocked to find out she was pregnant with my child only two months later.  
I smiled at the memory – Scarlett was everything to me from the moment I knew of her existence.

Fiorenza and I were great together, a great family with our three kids, until things went wrong. until today, I'm still clueless of what exactly was the killer of our relationship. It was like she suddenly went mad lunatic. She left me and my children behind in Forks, without a word she'd left. I'd been so angry that I asked my parents if they could watch out for the kids while I was away. I went to sunny Phoenix for a few days to calm down and set my mind.  
I was thus angry , that I slept with another woman, out of revenge. Renee seemed nice, caring and good enough for me, but that one night stand turned everything upside down once more.  
I went back to forks, taking Renee with me since Fiorenza was nowhere to be found, and took care of her, my kids and Bella when she was born.  
When Renee suddenly got sick of Forks, me and my children, she left taking Bella with her. It wasn't like I had a choice to leave and Renee Dwyer clearly wasn't worth it.

On one night, my wife came back. She missed me and explained that she had needed some time to think. Before I could even tell her about Bella and everything that had happened while was gone, she'd already pushed me down onto the bed.  
Less time later, she announced her fourth pregnancy to me.

And my Little Melody was the most precious thing ever.

I sighed, thinking back about those days. It was so confusing at times, but so happy. It was also difficult to explain three kids about what was happening. Scarlett was old enough at her fifteenth, but still.  
I sank back against my chair, popping my feet upon the desk. There wasn't anything else to do for me anyway apart from thinking back through those memories.

_It was Bella's second birthday today – November the twenty-sixth. I'd wanted to go to Phoenix and visit her but two things didn't give me the chance.  
Renee didn't want me there with her new husband and my wife, Fiorenza, was close to giving birth to our fourth child. She would be due December seventh and I had, and wanted, to stay here in Forks when the baby was born. I was just cleaning up the dishes from dinner, when an anxious shriek made me hurry straight to the stairs.  
"Charlie!" I heard Fiorenza yell form the bedroom. I quickly went to her and gasped at the scrunched up expression on her face. She was most definitely in pain.  
"What's going on? Where are you hurt?" I asked her, walking up to the bed and laying my hand on her forehead to temperature her.  
"I think…it's time." she gasped as she hurled together when another contraction hit. I immediately came into action by running to the closet and picking the stuff I'd need to let her give birth to our next child. Going to the hospital was to dangerous since the child wasn't completely human – we couldn't risk anything. After the first time with Scarlett, I began to become quite handy with birthing children. I propped Fiorenza upright against pillows, and cleared the bed from the duvet, placing a paper underneath, to see how much water she lost.  
"OW!" she screeched as I cringed, not trying to imagine how much it must hurt. I was so glad to be a man at these times.  
I made sure to check everything I needed to before I signaled her she could push. Scarlett had heard what was going on and brought Nathan an Skye out the house.  
She screamed much more of hurt than with the others, making me worried about all this.  
"Charlie please!"  
I pulled my sleeves up until my elbows, stood between her spread legs, ignoring the sight, and hold onto her hands. She squeezed quite hard, but I let her. She wouldn't break them since she cared that much for me.  
"Alright, baby, now push!" I said, my voice strained. It was always so tense. What if something went wrong? what if this baby was different than the others?  
Fiorenza pushed as hard as she could, as I supported her. Pretty quick, I saw the bloodied head and shoulders come out. Almost there. She whined in pain again and I told her to push once more.  
After anxious minutes, a heart wrenching scream of pain, the baby finally got out as I caught it with my hands. Fiorenza sunk back into the pillows behind her, tired from the effort. We were both covered with sweat and blood as I stared at the little baby in my arms.  
It was beautiful. _She_ was beautiful._

_"Is it a Charles Junior?" Fiorenza said gasping and letting out a breathy chuckle. We'd joked about the name if it would be a boy. She'd teased me by wanting it to call after my own name. I wanted to call him Willy. But she smacked my shoulder by saying that would be so pity for the poor kid._  
_"No…no it's a girl." I exclaimed amazed by the beauty. She was so tiny. I checked if there were ten toes and ten little fingers. I saw two ears, a soft nose and puffy lips. The ones her mother had too._  
_"A girl? You gave me a beautiful daughter again, Charlie?" my wife chanted happily form above me._  
_When I cut the navel cord and bound it, she suddenly started wailing like every new born baby should, making me sigh in relief. I turned away from Fio, to clean the baby up, smearing the blood away from her tiny body as her arms moved._  
_While I swaddled her up in a blanket, I asked Fiorenza how we should name her. I walked back to her, laying our daughter into her mother's arms and looking at the picture of pure perfection. she held the most precious thing in the world. One of the four most precious things, that is._  
_"You still like Melodiana? It has something from my mother's name in it." she whispered as she brushed the soft skin of the baby's cheeks._  
_"Yes, I do. Ad Helena from you, and Marie from my mother?" I questioned, sitting next to her as we looked at the now calm baby in her arms._  
_"Melodiana Helena Marie Swan." Fiorenza confirmed, smiling as her tears of proud, and happiness flowed down her cheeks. I had to admit to have watery eyes too._  
_  
Melodiana began moving around again, waving her arms and squirming from beneath the blanket. Her eyes scrunched and fluttered. When she opened them we both gasped in utter and complete shock._  
_  
Her eyes were red. Blood red._

* * *

**A/N2: Uh-oh. baby vamp Melody? curious about the rest? I'm pretty curious about what you think off Charlie and the past he's telling you about? please let me know! I'd really appreciate that! I also wonder, since i assume most of you are american/english - how's my grammar actually? :$**


	33. 32 -- Charlie Swan

**A/N: Hi! alright, Mr. Mustache is getting to some drama in this chappie. see what happens...**

* * *

What a day that had been. It was stressful, anxious exciting but also very shocking. I almost shot through the ceiling upon seeing my new born daughter having red eyes. Fiorenza went in a total panic mode while I had to calm her down. I said that it might be a phase or something else and it would be over sooner or later.  
Thank God, I'd been right about that.

Scarlett, Nathan and Skye were also pretty shocked to hear and see about the eyes, but that didn't make them love her any less. Melody was a happy baby – smiling, giggling and swinging with her limbs.  
Fiorenza tried to ease the red color by giving the girl as much as human food as possible, water and a small amount of animal blood. After a month or three, the red color started to fade, getting replaced by the same golden color her mother and siblings had. We didn't really know where the red eyes came from – her siblings started with a darker shade of gold, but Fiorenza thought it might've been caused by the fact that Melody got the chance to drink blood from her inside. It sounded pretty nasty, but I got used to the whole blood drinking thing after a while. When my kids asked me to join them on a hunt, I declined though. I didn't need to see it.

Then things got strange and worse. Fiorenza became crazy, angry and mostly aggressive. I even started to get afraid of her sometimes. She was often away, without saying anything and I let her at first. I thought it belonged to her vampiric nature, but when I saw her wanting to hit Melody, I snapped. I asked her what the hell was wrong with her and she let me know.  
That was the most painful thing to hear in my whole existence.  
She told me she hated those kids because they were so perfect and always held my attention. She was jealous. She'd said many more things but I stopped listening when she called them fake leeches.  
When she was done yelling and fighting with me she just left, slamming the door thus hard that it had to be replaced and leaving two large cracks in the walls.  
It took me hours to calm the little , three year old toddler as she cried for her mommy.  
The bad thing was, that Scarlett had heard everything and appeared in the doorway looking at me with an apologetic expression. They thought it was all their fault that their mom acted like that. But that wasn't true. Nothing had been their fault at all.  
I'd talked with my parents about the situation and they told me stay in Forks since I had nowhere else to go. I'd thought I would be suffering from heart break but I never once remembered thinking about it. I only had eye for my children. the decision was made – I would raise them, no matter what.  
So I did.

_I felt the rush of air as my son flew past me. this just wasn't fair. Not even thirty seconds later, he came back, stopping in front of me – ball in hand.  
"I got it." he said, grinning at me. my fourteen year old boy was already very grown up for his age. But they all grew fast. Scarlett even bridged a few age years.  
"Well done. You know – it's not really fair to play baseball with you father being a slow human, kiddo." I mocked, but laying a fun tone behind it. Nathan chuckled.  
"As long as I can win it's cool!" he smiled. I rolled my eyes, suggesting another run-up. I just wanted to throw the ball when a high, girly voice broke through the silence.  
"Ne! Ne!"  
Nathan and I turned to see little Melody running up to us, giggling. Even though her speech was far beyond great for a six year old, she still had trouble with speaking her brother's name. I watched as Nathan crouched down and took her in his arms.  
"I want to go to Daddy!" she giggled and Nathan rolled his eyes, but followed her wish. When they neared me, he handed his youngest sister over to me.  
"Hello Baby Swan! What's up?" I said. He golden eyes were twinkling with laughter. She squirmed in my arms, letting me know she wanted to stand by herself.  
"I want to play baseball too!" she squealed. It was then, that I saw she'd put on a blue jersey and a baseball cap in the same color. I heard Nathan laugh, knowing exactly how this was going to end.  
"Okay, you can. Do I need to help you?" I replied, wincing. Melody was clumsy. Far beyond clumsy and that was even an understatement. She was also very perky and that's why she shook her head, making the brown curls swing around. "Nope." She said, popping the 'p'.  
Nathan took his place a few meters away from us – he would throw the ball. I stood behind her to be the catcher. If she hit it.  
And then there was Melody, with the large baseball bat in hands, crouching through her knees a bit and taking a stance.  
Nathan threw the ball with quite a force and I was afraid that it might topple her over. Instead it ended up worse. Melody swung the bat, hard.  
Right into my crown jewels._

_"OW!" I barked, my hands flying to crotch. The girl was a good hitter. Nathan was rolling over the ground from laughter upon seeing his sister's confused look. she had her hand horizontal above her eyes, as if she was shading it form the sunlight that wasn't there._  
_"Daddy where's the ball? Did I hit it?" she asked, all innocent since she had no clue what was going on._  
_"you did hit balls, alright." I squeezed out my throat. Scarlett and Skye had come outside when they heard me howling and they were trying to contain their laughter._  
_Melody cheered, throwing her arms in the air, almost hitting me with the bat again. she turned to face me, smiling wide until she saw my face._  
_"Daddy what's wrong?"_  
_"I..uh…I'm sad you won the game. Now I lost. I don't like losing." I lied, not wanting to explain she hit me in the balls. I was afraid though, that she might read it in my mind._  
_Melody's hand touched my cheek and she caressed it._  
_"Sorry daddy, but I won."_

I chuckled lowly, shaking my head the memory. Even though it hurt as hell at the time, it was a memory I'd never forget in my whole life. It always made me enormously happy to see my kids having a great time, to see them smile. After that everything went quite well, even though my parents died in between and their mother never came back.  
Scarlett met Adam Bright in high school, when he was giving a speech about educations on UDub in Washington. Scarlett had been mesmerized by Adam, upon seeing his eyes, just as I had when I saw her mother's eyes. After having talked frequently, she found out Adam was a vampire. She was only fifteen at the time as they started to secretly date. I never restricted her from anything in their relationship, even though I thought Adam was a bit old – he was and is still twenty seven years old.  
Scarlett had been worried about his diet, even though he also survived on the blood of animals, he was a true vampire – no half breed.  
When I found out on a horrific night that my seventeen year old daughter wasn't a virgin anymore, Adam started to change. He suddenly craved human food, feel asleep once in a while and got a bit more color in his way too pale face.  
Scarlett did some research and found out it had to do something with what they call the 'mating process'. it made them equals, so they could live together without any harm.  
Not soon after, Nathan came across Layla during a hunt. She was also a vampire but lived from the usual diet – of humans. When they met, the fell in love on first sight. At least, that's what my son told me. When we met Layla, after she changed into the half-breed, she tagged along her brother, Chris. We learned they were twins and because destiny chose to make Skye drool all over him, I got another son-in-law. Happy me.  
Since then it was just Melody and me, together, because she was only left. When I came to LA, where they'd moved to fast after Melody's sixth birthday, my youngest daughter and I frequently went to the beach, the Zoo, Disney world or the movies. Whatever she liked.

Four years ago, we were all shocked to hear that Scarlett became pregnant. Adam panicked, thinking the baby, who grew unbelievably fast, would kill his wife. I knew that hybrid children grew fast, but not during pregnancy.  
No three months later, on the twelfth of October, Scarlett gave birth to my first grandchild – Denim.  
The delivery had been tough and quite dangerous but everything had turned out fine. Melody, who was almost eleven at the time, was completely smitten with her nephew and often played with him. I warned Adam that he might grow fast and he took in my advice.  
And growing fast he did.

In four years, baby Denim grew into a thirteen year old teenager. He was smart, quite the gentleman and looked a lot like his father.  
It was strange to have a grandson from thirteen, while my own daughter was only two years older.  
In the meanwhile, Layla and Skye followed announcing their pregnancies to us. it was all babies form then. Faith and Alana were beautiful and perfect. It was funny to see my son, who really liked bullying his little sister, growing up into a man so fast.

Everything seemed to be alright until that horrible summer. I winced thinking back about it – the one of my biggest nightmares. One that came true.

_Dinner had been fantastic. As we left the chic restaurant in the upper district in Los Angeles. Skye had a special gala night from a community of photographers, and her work was being showed. Chris, she and I went to dinner first and were now on our way to the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel, where the event would be happening. Scarlett and Adam were both working the night shift and Nathan and Layla were celebrating their third wedding anniversary. Luckily, Melody stayed home with her cousins so they wouldn't be home alone until we'd come back later in the night. _  
_As the three of us entered the vast, expensive hotel, Skye gasped before a huge smile broke loose on her face. My mustache took the same happy stance. _  
_"Oh my, Dad! This is so awesome! I'm so glad you're here!" she whispered, wringing her hands together. I assumed she must be a tad nervous. We passed through the great hall, seeing all kinds of people chatting with each other. Off course the flashing of camera's wasn't missing. _  
_"Charlie, do you want champagne?" Chris asked me, holding a glass of his own. I nodded, taking one from the waiter and sipping at it. I looked around and noticed that my daughter wasn't present any longer. Frowning I asked Chris about it._  
_"So, where did your wife go?" I grinned. I was proud of her, that she'd found a man like Chris. My son-in-law chuckled before he answered with a smile._  
_"She's needed at the stage. They're going to present the pictures soon and names of photographers will be called. She's on the front line of course." He said, taking a sip of his champagne. I nodded in understanding. We made small-talk about a few things, how his job went lately and I learned a few funny facts about my youngest granddaughter Alana. _  
_A spokeswoman from the community started speaking about how her artist got to work, where they worked, what they used and all that what belonged with it. Skye had come back to us having done what she had to do and waited along with us for the speech to end. _  
_Suddenly, Chris tensed beside me and I frowned, looking at him. his face was troubled and he gripped Skye's forearm. When she saw his face she was immediately alarmed. _  
_"Chris, what's wrong? what's happening?" she whispered anxiously. I stared at the two of them, confused. Then Chris said something that made the hairs in my neck stand straight. _

_"Melody…something's wrong. Horribly wrong." he whispered, still staring ahead of him. Skye freaked as I was frozen. _  
_"What do you mean? Where is she? Do you know that, baby? Please tell me you know!" Skye pleaded. I saw she was close to crying, while I still tried to figure out what was all going on. How did Chris know something was wrong?_  
_A loud peeping tone, got our attention. We turned our heads, just as all the other people towards the spokeswoman who stood on the stage with a solemn expression. _  
_"Mrs. Johnson?" she asked, searching the crowd with her eyes. We were all fixated on her, waiting for what she had to say. The woman turned her head towards someone next to her, who was just stepping up the stage. _  
_It was Layla, my daughter-in-law, Nathan's wife and the expression on her face and the thick tears that fell down her cheeks confirmed Chris' words. _  
_I saw Skye make eye contact with Layla, whom she saw as her own sister, and gasp, holding her hand across her mouth as the woman went further with speaking._

_"I'm sorry to tell you this, but we just heard some terrible news from Mrs. Swan. You're sister appears to be in critical condition in the hospital. I'm sorry Mrs. Johnson." She finished. My knees buckled as my breathing stocked. I faintly heard Skye squeak a loud 'no' but I couldn't concentrate. All I thought about was what happened to my Baby Swan._

_Before I could progress it, we were seated in Layla's Mercedes as she raced through the streets of Los Angeles. we were silent at first, which was strange. I wanted to know what happened, but at the same time, I feared it might be too much. _

"_Layla, please tell me she's still alive!" Skye sobbed as Chris held her in his arms, wearing a pained expression. My eyes widened.  
"What do you mean Skye!? What happened for God's sake! Why do you ask this!?" I roared not able to control my emotions.  
"Charlie, I can't tell you right now. all you need to know is, that her condition is bad, but that Adam is doing everything he can to save her life." Layla's voice broke in the end as she kept staring straight ahead onto he streets when we turned onto the parking lot of the hospital. I got out, just like the other's did and swallowed, my head spinning.  
"Is she…she's…" I couldn't bring myself to say the word, "dying?"_

Layla faced me, as we all walked through the entrance of the hospital, ignoring the friendly nurses. Her sorrow filled eyes were enough to know the truth.  
"Let's hurry." Was the only words she spoke, before we all quickened our pace to the ICU – intensive care unit. My daughter was being held at the ICU. This was bad. Very bad.  
We went to the right into an quite dark aisle. I saw people further away from me. a smaller one, and two taller ones. When we came closer I stifled a yell of shock upon seeing Nathan.

His white shirt, arms and face were covered with blood. Lots of blood. He was leaning against the wall behind him, clenching his jaw as he cried. Since he became a man, I'd never seen him cry again.  
Next to him was Scarlett, who was pacing back and forth, also in tears. Her hair was in disarray and she wasn't wearing a white jacket, like she would during her doctor's duty.  
On a bench next to Nathan, was Denim, my grandson. His clothes were muddied, and at place of the left side of his chest, was a huge bloodstain. Peeking above then hemline of his shirt, I could see the white bandage.

Layla ran up to Nathan, pulling what seemed like a clean t-shirt form her handbag. I saw her, taking his face in her hands as she pleaded with him, begged him. Chris and Skye passed me as I slowed my pace. Walking faster wouldn't help my daughter save her life. I was devastated, sick, heartbroken and I hadn't even heard what happened and what she was suffering from.

_I stopped when I stood next to Denim, as his eyes sought mine. normally they would spark, but now they didn't. Skye's shriek scared the crap out of my mind. _

"_Oh my God! Where's Alana? Is she alright? Where's she!"_

___Scarlett walked up to her, laying her hand son her sister's shoulders., taking a stern, but reassuring expression.  
"Skye, she's fine. She has quite a cut on her hand that had to be stitched. She'll be brought her by one of the nurses as soon as she's done. Faith's got a cut along her jaw, so she'll be away a bit longer." She explained, her eyes troubled. Her gaze caught mine, before it flickered to Nathan, who appeared shocked. I went to him, wanting to ask him what happened, but I heard him pleading, "no, I'm not changing my shirt! What if this is the last I'll have of her.." I froze as his voice faltered. Layla asked him for once more what happened, but he shook his head. I stood next to him, laying my hand on his shoulder, looking down at his face. He lifted his head to see me and winced.  
"I don't know what happened. I only know I found her like that…it was so…I was so afraid I was too late already. That I'd find my baby sister dead!" he growled as his eyes became fierce, with a unbearable pain hidden in the golden color.  
I didn't dare to say anything, or even think as my hand shot form his shoulder as if I was hit by a lightning bolt.  
"Nathan please change and clean up a bit. She'll be alright, Adam is doing everything in his might to save her, even if he has to – " Layla started, but was interrupted by her husband.  
"I'm going to snap his neck if he dares to bite my sister!" he growled lowly. Layla, took a step back, before her expression turned angry. She fisted her hands into Nathan's bloodied shirt and tugged, dragging him with her._

"You are going to listen to me now, Nathan Charles! The whole thing isn't going to make things better and if Adam needs to bite Melody in order to save her, you have nothing, but NOTHING to say about that!"  
They stared at each other, until we saw Nathan's muscles relax into submission.  
"I'm sorry Dad." He said, and followed Layla through the aisle to a nearby bathroom.

* * *

**A/N2: *whistles* so what the hell happened? any guesses? **


	34. 33 -- Charlie Swan

**A/N: pfieuw! sorry for the delay - my computer was throwing a diva fit and I had quite a lot of tests to study! but here is a new part! I hope you like it!_  
_**

* * *

_We waited, sat, waited more, anxious and feared of what might happen. I was so frustrated that no one wanted to tell me what happened. After another half an hour of silence, tears and irritation, I had enough of it._

_"If no one is going to tell me what's wrong with her, I'll find out myself!" I barked angrily. I never yelled at my children nor grandchildren but this was maddening.  
Scarlett sighed, stepping up to me as the others, kept their heads down. Denim was afraid to speak. Alana and faith were still being taken care of, while Nathan and Alana were with them. Chris and Skye both hadn't any clue either, even though my intuition said they did somehow._

"Dad, the only thing I know is from what I saw when Nathan came in here, holding her in his arms. I..I..I thought she was already…" Scarlett stammered, before swallowing and trying to continue," she was completely covered in blood, especially the space from beneath her breasts until over her hipbone. She's got a head wound and cuts in her cheeks and probably bruises. But further…we don't know what happened. Only the kids know, but they don't want to tell us, not until Melody is alright and we're home safely."  
"is there even a chance she survives?" I asked whispering, not wanting to know the answer. Scarlett turned away from me, averting her eyes.

"I hope so…"

And that's where I broke.

For what seemed like days, we were in the hospital waiting, crying and praying she'd be fine, that she'd live. Faith and Alana had come back with bandages at the places they ended up wounded and even though we all wanted to know the truth, we didn't push them to tell us. it was highly possible there was some mental damage caused form what they'd been through that night.  
When I came back to a normal state, back from my haze, I glanced at the clock hanging above one of the doors. It was past four in the morning – we'd been there all night.  
Adam and his team were still busy with making sure my daughter survived. We needed her. She was my little girl, she was her sibling's sister, she was my grandchildren's aunt.  
It made me angry that something or someone would harm such a pure creature. She never did anything wrong to anybody or anyone. She was shy, most of the time smiling and a pretty little girl. She was strong, different – an enigma.  
She'd fight. Melody would fight, I was sure of that. The question was if her body would let her.

The swinging door of the surgery room flew open and all our heads swung in that direction seeing who was coming through. It was Adam, all bloodied, looking tired and pained.

The silence was unbearable as we all held our breaths for what he might say. His painful expression made me think of the worst. Seconds ticked, until his lips slightly turned upwards in a relieved barely there smile.  
That was enough.

"Oh my God! She's alive!" Scarlett flung her husband around his shoulders, as he enclosed his arms around her, chanting that she did. she survived surgery and her heart was still beating.  
My daughter was alive!

Squeals, cries and sighs of relief and pain were heard through the aisle. Nathan however seemed tense. Adam got out of Scar's embrace and looked at him.  
"What did you do?" Nate asked darkly, never losing eye contact with his century old vampire brother in front of him. Adam looked apologetic.  
"Nathan I had to…please understand it was the last and only thing that I could do to save her." He pleaded with his brows furrowed and his wife and son at his side. I saw Nathan swallow thickly as he nodded. I could see he wasn't happy with it, but would accept it as long as Melody would be safe and alive.

"You bit her." I whispered, needing the confirmation. I didn't know what it would mean for Melody or what would happen to her, but I got that it would be her savior. Adam nodded, closing his eyes. He started explain how tough it had been, how many times he had to reanimate her to keep her heart beating. At one point, his assistants and surgeons wanted to give up and he sent them away. at that point he bit her, high on her leg, so it wouldn't be noticed the bite mark sat there.  
"Guys, I think you should got to the waiting rooms for a minute." He announced. We all were confused, thinking something went wrong again, but her reassured us that wasn't the case.  
"It's better if you go now, you don't want to see – " Adam was cut off but the doors swinging open again, as two nurses and a doctor, pushed forward a hospital bed. there were wires and machines everywhere all coming in contact with the battered body that lay almost lifelessly still on the bed.

"Holy motherfucking hell!" I exclaimed, not realizing it came from me.

I cringed and shook my head, trying to clear it from the terrible memory. That had been the most terrifying night of my life. Adam had tried to get us away from the hall so we didn't have to see how she looked. I wish I had listened.  
It had been a good thing he assured us of her beating heart, because she truly looked like a corpse. Her skin was gray looking, with cuts, bruises and bandages all over her. Her whole torso was bandaged, as lots of wires and tubes were sticking into it a various places. It was awful to see, but good also. We all needed to face reality and know that danger was lurking somewhere.  
Since then we kept very close to each other, never alone. Melody got a room on ICU where doctor's regularly checked her vitals or did something with the machines that were connected with her body. It was terrible to sit there, praying and waiting she'd open her eyes one day. If she would.  
After eight days, she woke as Scarlett was with her. She had been disoriented and terrified that Adam had to jump in and calm her, before she'd kill herself from the stress. Her body was too weak to survive such a small thing.

She didn't speak for a long time, but burst out one day, telling her siblings the truth. It was bad that I wasn't there at the moment – I had to go back to forks for a while and promised to be back as soon as I could. It was stupid from me that I wasn't there – I could have heard the story.  
Melody stayed in the hospital for a bit more than four months, to revalidate, get enough psychological help from Adam and learn to live with her scarred body.  
She was having a very hard time accepting the lighting like scars on her torso. I cringed again as I thought of that night here in Forks, when she showed them to me and told me it was her mother who had done this to her. I still couldn't believe Fiorenza had done this to our daughter. Sometimes I wished I could talk to her and ask about it, but I got the idea it might be very dangerous somehow. We never saw Fiorenza back again, and no one wanted to see pictures, hear stories or hear the word mother. They were to scarred by it. since Melody showed me her scars, I understood.  
I never wanted to see the shrew again and if I would, I'd end her in some way. She didn't deserve to walk on earth.  
I felt beyond horrendous about it, but Melody learned to deal with it. if she could do it, I needed to. I was her father and I always got her back, no matter what she'd do, go through or feel.  
When I heard Melody wanted to spend time with me in Forks, I was completely out of my mind. I missed my little girl and to have her around me again, seemed a great idea.  
I was beyond nervous when I got to the airport where I picked her up that day, but all fear and tenseness was forgotten when I held her in my arms again after such a time.

"Charlie? Are you still here? The shift switch was ten minutes ago." I turned in my chair, startled by the sudden voice from Mark. I cleared my throat and quickly set my feet back to the ground, which I'd laid down on the desk.  
"Ah, sorry Jones. I lost track of time I guess." I replied, standing up and starting to gather my stuff. Mark grinned and shook his head. "Right, Swan. Relaxing in your 'Chief-chair' is an easy way to lose track of time. " he joked, air-quoting about the chair. I rolled my eyes and walked past him as I threw on my jacket. I told all the colleagues I came across on my way out to have a good night and left the building. Once I was seated in my cruiser, I turned out of the parking lot and drove home. I turned on the radio, hoping for some nice music, but unfortunately there wasn't anything for my liking so I pushed the standby button. The silence in my car, brought me back to the thinking again.

There was something I wondered a lot about lately, making sure not to be any close to Melody in case she'd hear my ruminations. The thing was that I had no idea how I would be able to stay with all my children. Scarlett, Nathan and Skye had recently turned immortal. They didn't age, being frozen in time, while the world kept aging, turning and changing. Melody would end up as an immortal eventually, but Bella was completely human. And I was too.  
I once asked Skye, if she knew how to make me one of them, a vampire. I'd endure the pain and difficulties that came with it, to be with them forever, but Bella wouldn't. Bella didn't know any of all this and I was sure she wouldn't break up with Jacob to be with her half siblings, while she didn't really like them.  
As I thought more of it, I suddenly remembered the book Melody told me about a few months ago. It was about her kind. Maybe I'd find my answer there.  
I turned to my right, driving into our street and smiled a bit to myself. Even though lots of those memories and things that happened in the past were haunting, it always turned out right.  
After a few more minutes, I parked the cruiser in the driveway, noting that both my daughters weren't present. I knew Bella was at La Push, having a so-said sleepover with Jacob. I decided to just believe that and not to think further about what actually happens at that o, so innocent sleep over. It surprised me Melody was out though. Stepping out of the cruiser I grabbed my keys, opened the door and got inside. The warmth welcomed me in and I sighed, already starting to relax somewhat. I went into the kitchen after having hung my holster above the peg, and saw a small note laying on the table.

_'Hey Dad,_  
_ I forgot a few things earlier, so I'm out to get it. I'll be home around dinner time_

_ X M. '_

I checked the clock for the time. It wasn't much, but fifteen minutes would be enough for me to have searched through that book. Of course Melody told me it wasn't wrong if I read it, but I didn't want her asking me why I did. When I first mentioned that I was thinking about becoming an immortal as well, everyone got extremely mad at me. I didn't get why they did though.  
As I let the coffee machine prepare me some hot chocolate, I went to Melody's bedroom, hoping she'd have the book laying around there somewhere. I didn't think it was very proper to search through my daughter's room without permission, but it had to do for now.  
A is opened the door, it surprised me her room was so messy lately. Normally everything was neatly stapled and organized, but now there were clothes flying everywhere, books scattered on the floor and various candy bar wrappers on the desk and bedside table. I sighed, thinking it would take too long to find the book, but when I spotted something shining from under the mattress, I realized it was from the silver characters on the black cover. I maneuvered myself through the piles of clothes and got it from under the mattress before heading back out. What a 'melody' place to hide something.  
Downstairs, I got my steaming cup of hot choco from the kitchen and settled into the soft couch cushions before sliding open the book. When I read the prelude, I frowned. Such a strange old language, but figuring the book might derive from a very early time era, it was logical. I checked out the table of contents and thought it be smart to start with the first chapter since I knew a few things about the newly born stuff. I flipped to the right page and started reading.

_**'Chapter One – Newly Born.**_

__

This is where it all starts. A new life full of opportunities, even though the same life ends rather quickly, to start out for real and lasting forever. Vampire hybrids are immortal, but not right out from birth. It depends on who it's parents are – both hybrid, mother hybrid and father human/vampire or vice versa.  
When both parents are full grown hybrids, it is possible to bear children, but the chance that it survives or won't get any growing problems is very little. it's caused by too much immortality in the deep red blood of said hybrids.  
When one of the parents is human or a vampire, you get relatively good functioning hybrids. The myths say something about incubuses and succubuses, the only way to conceive child with a human as a vampire. That's not true though in this case – after the mating process, which consists of physical attraction, eye contact, love and DNA. At the point where this process is succeeded, both 'lovers' have shared each other with one another. When both mates stay close together, the faster the vampire in the relationship starts to change into an equal of the hybrid. Because the vampire became human, he/she is able to conceive children with another.  
The question always is – how long takes the pregnancy, what happens when the child is born and when does it stop aging?  
The most true answer is that destiny and fate make this decision. The average pregnancy takes three to five months, but this depends on generations.  
A later generation will have shorter pregnancies and younger children than two generations earlier. At some point a generation stops, before a new one will be created somewhere unknown.  
Hybrid babies grow fast and need lots of feedings and blood in some cases. Most times, a hybrid child skips a few age years. For example: one is born in 1822 at the age of zero. Three years later the same child has an age of a ten-year old.  
A hybrid mother can only give birth to one child, before she's changed – the delivery is tough and quite dangerous. Sometimes mothers don't survive. In order to save the mother, the father changes her into his equal. Later on, they fall back into their old lifestyle caused by the still lingering blood of a new born vampire.' 

I stopped reading, faintly hearing a car's engine outside. Melody's probably home. It's strange to read such a thing, but I realized that my children are more inhuman, than human. the whole vampire hybrid being, is pretty complicated. I smiled somewhat satisfied I'd done some research on this. The next time melody would be out, I'd read further. When I heard the key turning in the lock at the front door, I quickly shoved the book under the couch so she wouldn't find it for now. I sat back with my warm drink and acted to be relaxing. I heard her footsteps and small curse as she probably let her coat fall or something like that.  
"Melody, is that you?" I called out as usual. As a cop, you'll always want to be sure who's entering the house.  
"Yeah, dad it's me." I heard her reply from out of the kitchen where she rummaged through the cabinets or in all probability through the refrigerator for food. I sat and waited for her to enter the living room, which she did.  
"Hey kiddo. Did you get the errands you needed?" I asked kindly. It was hard to make small talk with her since the Cullen's had left. Luckily though, her way too depressive mood had been lightened up somewhat since a few days.  
She cleared her throat, seeming uncomfortable. I faced her, noting that her blush, which had been absent for weeks, seemed to be there on full blown. There was definitely something going on, but I didn't want to push her by telling me things she wanted to keep to herself. My daughter was a lot like me – we hated expressing our feelings.  
"Yeah,..I forgot some things from the pharmacist earlier. Your meds are on the kitchen table by the way dad." She stammered. I nodded, "I already noticed, but thanks for reminding me sweetheart." I remarked. Then this awkward silence came. She avoided eye contact, and stared ahead of her, only speaking if necessary. I really tried to talk to her about the simple things, but Melody's being was everything but simple. When I decided to ask her about her strange, distant behavior anyway, I heard the familiar chime of our house phone. I stood up from the couch to pick up on time.

"Swan household, Charlie speaking." I said through the speaker as I always did when picking up the phone.  
"Charlie! It's Billy. I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come over and keep me some company. The new Mariners game is on TV tonight and since Jacob and Bella are out in Port Angeles anyway, I thought about asking you." Billy's old man's voice sounded through the horn. I wondered if I had an old man's voice too. I hesitated, though. Of course I wanted to see the match, but I couldn't just leave Melody all alone here if she wanted someone to talk too or just be with.  
"Wait a second Billy, I have to ask Mells if she's okay with staying home alone." I replied, already walking into the living room where she still sat on the couch, fidgeting with the hem of her way too large shirt. Probably a new fashion thing.  
"Mells, do you mind if I go to Billy's to watch baseball?"  
She turned around and shook her head, "No, dad I don't. I was planning on going to bed early tonight anyway." She answered, shrugging her shoulders. I asked if she was sure, and she nodded telling me to go and have a nice time with my old friend. I went back to the kitchen and told Billy I'd be there in twenty and we hung up.

I threw on my winter jacket, which was different than the one I wore to work, and pulled on a pair of shoes not really caring if they fit with the rest of my clothes.  
Just when I was about to go back to the living room to tell Melody I wouldn't be home too late, she was already there, flinging her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly. I frowned not really getting why she did that so all of the sudden, even though I didn't mind the hug, until I heard her sobbing faintly against my chest. There was something wrong, my conscience told me as I held her in my arms for a while, swaying back and forth. When she almost stopped sobbing, I made her look up at me, "Melody, what's wrong? I can stay if you want – "  
"No, dad, nothing's wrong…" she was shaking her head violently, still avoiding eye contact, "it's just..you know, monthly girl issues or hormones or – "  
"Ah, right stop, I get it. Hormones." I interrupted her. That she was a woman was one thing, but I didn't want to hear all the things that tagged along with all that.  
I let her go and opened the door to leave when she said something more.  
"I love you dad, you know that right?"  
I looked back at her, into her black eyes that held a ring of gold around the outer side of her irises and nodded, "Yes, Melody, I do. I love you too, Baby Swan."  
She nodded as I saw her eyes water again, but I quickly remembered it was from the hormones, like she said. We said goodbye as I reassured her I'd be home before midnight, and I left for La Push.

Sitting in the car I realized something. Melody was in danger every day. She could be followed, or spied on. she could be in an simple car accident or being violated by one of those vampires. What if the change was rejected by her fragile human body? What if she disappeared and never came back?

Every hug, could be the very last. And that thought frightened me till no end.

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**A/N2: Naaaw! poor Charlie :( weird stuff in the mythical humans book though...any questions about that? you can always ask in a review! and of course I'd appreciate any kind of feedback ladies! :D**


	35. 34 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: Hey ladies! back to Melody's POV again! I hope you enjoyed Charlie's mind though :). **

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I watched through the kitchen window as my father drove away. the traitorous tears were streaming down my blazing cheeks like there wasn't going to be a stop. It was good luck that Charlie didn't see through my terrible lies. It was the only thing I did lately – lying.

When I realized what the test told me earlier that afternoon, I went back into my numb daze again. Without a real conscience, I started packing a bag with the most important things to tag along. I needed help, that was for sure – I couldn't do this completely on my own. I thought of all my options as I threw some clothes into a sports bag. I couldn't tell Charlie since I was afraid of his reaction. How was I going to explain how this happened? I'm sure he knew what happened to get me in this state, but I couldn't simply tell him who caused all this. It wasn't only Edward's fault of course – I'd been there too, obviously.  
The information leaflet of the pregnancy test told me to visit a doctor for a true test to make sure there wouldn't be any misunderstandings made. But going to a doctor in Forks was risking revealing my secret, since I wasn't completely human myself and seeing Bumpy was growing faster than any normal fetus would do, I decided against going to the hospital.  
So that got me only one option left – leaving.

When I got my bag all packed and ready, I rummaged through my closet in search for my Forks High School sweat shirt. It wasn't exactly mine – it was Edward's.  
He'd given it to me once, when it was raining as we were outside. He loaned it to me and when I wanted to give it back to him, he said I should keep it. After they all left, I stuffed it far away in my closet, not wanting to see it, but now it was just the thing I needed. Reaching in the far back, I finally found the grey, soft material with the green faded letters on it. I was glad it didn't have a hood, even though the neckline was pretty wide. Or I was just too tiny for a men's shirt. I sniffed the cotton and felt the sting of familiar tears. Tears of bitter mourning, tears of intense pain and the tears of raw passion.  
It still smelled like him after all those weeks.

Once I put it on, along with a pair of skinny-legged boyfriend jeans, I went downstairs, taking the full loaded bag with me. in the kitchen I searched for the phone number of the small airport in Seattle and started planning my journey. When I was all set, I still had a few hours to kill until my plane would leave. I started writing a letter for Charlie, so he would know where I was and why I wasn't home. I wrote another small note for him, saying I needed to run some last errands, and left to go back to the pharmacist.  
When I entered she smiled friendly at me as I closed the distance, stopping in front of her.  
"I eh…I need some advice I think." I started. She looked down at me since she was longer than I was and her smile softened some more.  
"it was positive?" she asked in return, making me nod and avoiding eye contact. She didn't need to see the wild emotions in my eyes. Her reassuring hand on my shoulder relaxed me somewhat, even though I didn't knew her personally. I asked her if I'd need anything to make sure my vitals and those of Bumpy would be held at the right rate and she recommended me maternity vitamins. She wished me luck when I left and somehow I thought she knew that I was leaving.

When I was back at the house, I saw Charlie's cruiser standing in the driveway. I swallowed heavily as I was about to lie some more.  
When Billy called, this came as a relieve for me – I was planning to sneak out of the house, through the window at first, but this gave me the opportunity to at least be as safe as I could.

With the letter in hands, I tore myself away from the kitchen window. I needed to get going or I would miss my flight and I couldn't stand to lie another day to my father.  
I gathered some food to take with me since I still craved to bite on candy bars and other sugary things, and went back to my bedroom. I neatly made the bed and cleaned up, before placing the white letter on my duvet. My room would be the first place where he'd look for me.

_Dad,_

First I want to tell you that I'm sorry for all this. I never intended to hurt you with my problems, so that's why it's better that I left. I need some time to think and some space for myself.  
You don't have to worry about me – I'm perfectly safe. The reason I left tonight, though, was because I had to catch my plane.  
Don't search for me, don't call me – I'll text you when I'm at my place of destination.

I love you Dad, forever,

x Melody

There was only one thing left, that I need to take with me, and almost forgot. I tilted the mattress of my bed, but frowned when I realized the book wasn't there. Maybe I left it underneath the couch the last time I read in it? it was such a long time ago…  
As I turned off the lights, I walked down the stairs for one last time and went straight for the couch. Sitting on my knees and bowing down, I saw the black book laying there. I shoved it out and held it in my arms.  
Picking up the small paper bag with food, meds and maternity vitamins, I put on my thick winter jacket and gloves, taking my car keys with me. outside I opened the trunk of the fiat to retrieve the sports bag, which wasn't too heavy to carry all the way too Port Angeles. I secured the food inside, along with the book and zipped it close, locking the two small zipper rings. I closed the trunk, locked my car and went back inside the house to hang my keys back in its usual place. outside again, I locked the front door with the spare key that lay under a rock beneath the wooden patio, and turned to leave.  
I didn't look back, ignored the car and crossed the street. Swinging the bag over my shoulders, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and concentrated.

_I'd do everything for you, to keep you safe and happy_ I thought to Bumpy, who moved inside my lower belly.

With that thought, I took off like bullet, through the dark forest of the small town Forks, leaving my new past behind and to start all over.

And I would never be alone again.

_**#################################################################**_

When I neared the city borders of Port Angeles after three quarters of running, I slowed my fast pace a bit. I could still run, but close to the city, people might catch me easier. I sighed, feeling my legs start to ache, even as my shoulders. Still running, though, I finally found my fist destination – William R. Fairchild International Airport. From there I'd fly to my next stop in Seattle.

When I sunk back into the chair in the small plane, I looked around, praying I wouldn't see any people from forks who could say they'd know me. luckily the coast was clear from familiar humans. There were mostly business men, flying out for their next trip in Seattle.  
We flew for a half an hour before the plane touched down in Seattle. There I needed to wait for a while before my next flight would board. With my bag along my shoulders, I headed for the Starbucks café to grab a coffee. With the warm cup of vanilla latte in my hands, I left the shop to leave for customs. Luckily, it wasn't busy, so I didn't have to wait much long before the let me through.  
Waiting for my flight, I sipped at the now tepid coffee. Suddenly I felt a kick from the inside out again, noting this one was stronger than the one from this morning. Bumpy was really having fun in there. Or it was mad I was drinking coffee?  
Upon the last thought I felt another, softer, kick. Yep, definitely the coffee. I laid my hands down, as if I was warming the space where it was laying underneath my skin. Moving higher, up to my navel, I gasped when I felt it was slightly bigger, and tougher underneath. I'd always thought they were all joking with the fast growing stuff – they clearly didn't at all.

As my flight was called in, I stood up, following the mass of people who were headed to the same plane. Some people looked at me strangely, wondering why a young girl like me would be traveling by herself. I still couldn't help it that I equalized a thirteen year old.  
I settled into my chair, sitting next to an older couple who smiled friendly at me. we made some small talk and I learned they were going to visit their children, to celebrate New Year's together. That made me halt – I didn't even realize New Year's was in two days.  
When the plane started to take off, the stewardess started talking about all safety things and rules. I started to really listen when she neared the end of her talk.

*…_Now, I'd like to wish you all a safe and comfortable flight to Los Angeles, California!*_

"Miss? Miss, we touched down in Los Angeles." I heard feminine voice exclaim at my side. A hand shook my shoulders, making me slowly come back to consciousness. I squeezed my eyes before opening them, my pupils dilating from the bright morning light. The sun was just coming up from above the ocean. Another pat on my shoulder made me aware of the stewardess who stood next to me with an irritated, fake friendly smile. I looked around and noted that the whole plane was empty.  
"My apologies, ma'am, I haven't slept in a while so I think my eyes decided it was time for that" I rushed out, blushing and standing up. I felt the usual turn in my stomach, but ignored it – I could puke freely when I got to the house.

The stewardess led me out of the airplane into the halls where normally a whole bunch of family awaits their loved one. That wasn't the case for me since nobody knew I was coming here. I turned my phone back on, cringing as I saw the amount of messages and missed phone calls. Seeing my siblings' names standing on the screen a few times, I take it Charlie called them in worry. It pained me to ignore it, but if he'd call me right now, I wouldn't be able to lie any longer.  
I pushed the IPhone back in my jeans pocket and headed for the space where I'd get my sports bag.  
When I'd retrieved my bag, bought something to drink, and arranged a taxi, I went to the other side of LAX.

I was still shocked about what I'd found out and how I was feeling. the fact was that I didn't even knew how I felt about it. it still seemed so impossible to me, but yet so logical. During the five hour plane ride to get here, a sudden realization hit me.  
My sisters had children.

Scarlett was like me, a vampire-hybrid, even though I'm still in my human phase. Adam was like Edward, a vegetarian vampire. I figured a male man, vampire or human, would be able to conceive children until dying – they never got menopauses or fertility cycles. I knew it had taken a while before Scarlett finally got pregnant, because her body was already part immortal and had difficulties with not rejecting the embryo.  
I'd only had sex with Edward once, but I was much more human than my sisters were at the time, so it was much easier.  
Not that the whole night had been easy. It had been one of my most favorite and the most horrendous nights of my existence. The extraordinary pain was still there, but somehow Bumpy seemed to ease it.

I didn't have to wait for my taxi as it was five in the early morning, and got in. I instructed the old man where I needed to be and he turned on some classical music before driving off to 904 R Crescent Road, Los Angeles.  
Not very much later, I asked the driver to stop. We'd drove upon Crescent Road by now, but not wanting to attract too much attention, I decided I wanted to walk the last five hundred meters. I paid and thanked the friendly taxi driver and got out of the car.  
"Let me help you, miss, a pregnant woman shouldn't carry such a heavy bag by herself." He said, standing next to me just when I reached out for my bag in the trunk. my breathing stopped as he said the word. I looked down and noticed my shirt had been clinging tight over my belly, probably from sitting in the taxi.  
It was thus big, it would be recognized.

I blushed richly and chuckled from the nervousness as the man handed me my bag and winter jacket. I nodded and thanked him again as he wished me good luck and a very nice day.  
As he drove away, I quickly smoothed my large Edward sweater, checking if it wasn't clinging at any place and started walking.  
There weren't many houses here, though you couldn't even call them that. It were Luxury Estates, probably bigger than the Cullen estate was. As I neared, and saw my old house from farther away, heard the rise and fall of the waves that lay behind it. the woods weren't far away from us and an easy way to escape for a hunt or danger. This was one of the most empty, but beautiful places of the whole city.  
Getting closer and closer, I saw the light in the kitchen was already on. that was normal – there was always someone awake in our house. Bad luck for me was that I didn't have a key anymore since I left for forks. They told me to keep it for when I wanted to come back, but I assured them I wouldn't  
How things changed.

I stood in by the front door now, nervously biting at my lower lip. How were they going to react? They'd be angry that's for sure since I hadn't let them know where I was. swallowing and taking a deep breath, I knocked silently on the door. I waited, faintly hearing footsteps coming into my direction. The minds in the house were quiet – my cousins were dreaming, even as Skye and Nathan were. Layla just woke up from her two hour sleep while Scarlett was in the shower. Adam was busy gathering his stuff he needed for work, which only left one person who was walking up to the door. _'seriously, I may be a vampire but which human is so fucking delusional to knock on my door at half past five in the freaking morning?'_  
The door swung open, revealing Chris' scowling face. However when he saw me standing there, his eyes went wide in shock.

"Woah! I didn't expect you here! Is there something wrong? Jesus, we've been worried about you, pigmy! You could've called! Charlie's getting mad at his mustache, man!" he exclaimed brightly, even though I could separate the angry tone. I smiled cautioned, casting my eyes downwards and blushing a light shade of pink. Bumpy kicked my belly violently as I snapped my jaw together. I'd need a bathroom sooner or later.  
"Come on in, we're just waking up anyway." Chris mentioned, waving his hand before grabbing my forearm in his hand and taking me inside the still partly dark house. I dropped my bag in the hallway, along with the jacket and sighed, taking in the all too familiar surroundings, smells and sounds.  
Home is where the heart is, they always say. And even though my heart was somewhere entirely else with Edward, this still felt like home.

* * *

**A/N2: :) so she's back in La. you need to knwo that i've never been there or so, never went with a plane either so this is pure imagination...I hope it's not to unrealistic though...**


	36. 35 -- Melody Swan

**A/N: helloooowaa! I have nothing extra special to say actually...XD just enjoy reading! ;) it might get awkward though haha!**

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"Guys! I got a surprise here right down for you!" Chris yelled loudly through the house, rousing my cousins from their sleep and making everyone question what there might be happening downstairs. sure they had super hearing, but they couldn't read minds or see the future to know I was here. The first to come downstairs was Adam. His eyes widened as he almost dropped his briefcase.

"Oh my, this is unexpected…" he said with his brows creased. Scarlett walked up behind him, "Adam what's going on? we don't have time for jokes Chris, we both have a job and w – " when she saw me standing there, she yelped in surprise just when my other siblings came in, followed by my cousins.

"Pigmy? Is that you!? Come here and give your bro a hug!" Nathan was already walking up to me, wanting to wrap his arms around me, but I was alarmed by the fact that he might feel bumpy there. I stuck my arms out, wanting him to stop. With a hurt expression he dropped his arms. Everyone was looking at me expectantly for an explanation from all kinds – why didn't I call, why did I leave Forks, why was I here and why did I suddenly refuse hugs. I sighed deeply as they all began arguing about me and against me, all together.

"alright! please shut up! I'll explain you everything, but first I'd like to take use of the bathroom and eat or drink something. I've pretty much got quite a trip behind me so I'm pretty much exhausted." I said, looking at all their immortally beautiful faces sternly. They vaguely nodded and let me through so I could go to the bathroom. Bumpy was really getting jumpy inside my womb and I seriously needed to get rid of the awful morning sickness.

I went up the stairs, Chris following me with my bag in his arms, on my way to the second floor, where Denim, Faith, Alana and I had our bedrooms. There was a bathroom we shared, which was strikingly colorful of course, and a cinema room with those red puffy chairs and popcorn machine.  
"Should I drop this in your room Mells?" I heard Chris ask behind me. I turned around, suddenly, wanting to ay it was alright, when my stomach couldn't hold it any longer. My hand flew to my mouth and I ran the last meter to the bathroom, swinging open the door and practically flying to the blue colored toilet. I vomited heavily as I thought about what I ate wrongly. I knew I couldn't eat everything, but not exactly what. the starbucks coffee was definitely a problem.  
"Melody are you okay? What's going on?" Chris' voice sounded through the door as I flushed the toilet. I was becoming quite handy with flushing it in weird ways, since I kept throwing up every day.  
I got out of the bathroom meeting Chris, standing there with Layla behind him. like this you could really see they were twins as they wore the same worried an confused expression. I'd already thought of my excuse during the plane ride.  
"Sorry, I get nauseas from sitting on a plane. I've been holding this since I left last night." I explained, shrugging to look nonchalant and walked past them to my room.  
"I hope you'll still have appetite though, we're having breakfast with all of us together downstairs." Layla informed me. I nodded ,"Yeah, I'm hungry."  
But truly – when wasn't I hungry lately?

I entered my bedroom, noting it was still the same. They hadn't replaced anything or changed it for one bit. I did think Scarlett might get in here to clean up the dust, though.  
The room was so much different than the one I had in Forks. This one seemed to come straight form my own fairytale. It was light, open and decorated with soft colors. I wanted this room because of the high bed – instead of standing on the ground, my queen-sized bed looked like it was hanging in the air. Of course it was being held somewhere, and it was surprisingly stable. Surrounding the bed, was a layer of some curtain slash drapery idea. I used to love to hide myself behind it when I was younger.  
I leaned back against the door and retrieved my phone to text Charlie. I let him know that I was fine, perfectly safe and that I'd call soon.  
Then, I shuffled to my closet, which was even when I wasn't here still full with clothes. Mostly summer stuff, but the Los Angeles winters weren't too cold. Inside my walk-in closet, I searched for something wide. Once I found it, I left the closet and closed it, dropping the fresh clothes over a soft mint colored, elegant fauteuil. I made sure the door of my bedroom was locked since I didn't wish someone to bark in and see me. seeing me wasn't so wrong, but seeing me meant seeing Bumpy. They were already mad at me for not talking to them for the last month and if someone accidently assumed what was actually true, hell would break lose. And I was sincerely too tired for all that.

I pulled off my Edward sweater and dropped it to the ground. From my closet I'd gotten a long-sleeved shirt, which looked like a sweater but wasn't as warm. It was wide, though, and pale pink with letters on it. it was long enough to go off as a dress, so I put on skin-colored maillot underneath. I didn't forget the warm woolen socks for on my feet. before leaving for breakfast, I reminded myself to look like the old Melody – that girl with her long, curly brown hair and golden eyes. The golden eyes were going to be an issue at the moment since I wasn't in the mood for hunting at all, but my hair could be worked on.  
When I had it down, curled and like me, I went down the stairs to meet the others at the table.

They were all seated at their own chairs, which I still thought was funny, chatting hyperactively with each other. When I silently took my usual seat, they were silent. It freaked me out.  
Scarlett took her spot next to me, handing me a glass of orange juice.

"alright, let's drop the awkwardness here and just ask away." Skye began, giving everyone, including me a stern look. "so Melody first thing – you look terrible."  
I rolled my eyes at her, even though I knew she was right, "thanks for the great compliment. Anyway, I know you want to know what the hell I'm doing here, so I may as well just explain it." I started, receiving nods from the whole table.  
"Great, first thing you want to know is why I never called. Simple answer – I was and still am depressive. I didn't feel the need to bother you guys with my sick, painful and hateful life and crying jags. Right answer?" I practically growled. It wasn't so nice of me to talk like this, but as long as I kept it emotionless for me, the better and easier it was to lie. Not that I was lying about this exact thing. They were all silent, a bit taken aback from my reaction. This gave me the opportunity to move on without any arguments or discussions.  
"Good, the second thing you were all worried about as why I left Forks. I know Charlie called you, I know I should at least have called someone, but I left a letter for Dad which said I was fine." I kept sneering and growling, trying to keep the true emotions at bay, which was unbelievably hard when I saw their pained expressions and hurt scowls.  
"I left Forks because I missed you guys and because everything in Forks reminded me of my friends." My voice broke at the end as an old sting seeped through my harsh mask.  
"so that immediately explains why I am here. Why I don't hug people is not because of you, but because I don't do that anymore," I was lying hard as glass about this, but it was the best thing for now. I swallowed, avoiding contact with their prying eyes, "so can we please get over this, drop the subject and be glad that I'm safe and here?"  
They pondered about this for a minute, but as the sun arose, their eyes lit up tenderly as they nodded done by one. Except Scarlett.  
'_I know something's terribly wrong here, and I intend to find that out. Soon, Melody.'_

That night, I slept restlessly. Maybe it was because of the soggy warmth that was known here in LA, even during winters. But it could also be the fact that I wasn't in Forks anymore. it seemed like I was only farther away from Edward, which caused the physical hurt. It was at times like these, when I lay hurled into a ball in my bed, fighting against the choking pain in my limbs, head and chest, that I wished we never mated that night. But thinking it, made the pain even worse.  
I wondered for the first time, how Edward must feel. If he even felt it. what if I was the only one who felt this excruciating pain? I wondered where he was, what he was doing and why he left in the first place.  
It had been a while ago that I got there – only over thinking and walking around like a skeleton.  
At some point the pain started to ease as the sun rose beautifully outside my window, which was overlooking the sea. It was a very peaceful sight and a pretty start for the last day of the year. It had been a fast, strange, exciting and very different year. There'd happened so much things, all important for our lives. I let my hand brush over Bumpy, who was surprisingly relaxed this morning. Normally I'd already vomited twice by this time.

A soft knock on my door, made me aware that everyone in the house was busy with their morning routine. The parents had to go to work and the kids to school. And I was staying home.  
The door opened slowly, screeching a bit at the hinges, as light shone inside. I turned around, facing it and looking down.  
"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you, but we're leaving for work. Are you sure you're fine?" Skye asked with her head stuck around the corner. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up, nodding. "Yeah, I'm used to being alone so it doesn't bother me." I answered, my voice croaking. Skye's face fell slightly form my answer and I immediately felt guilty for acting like this, but this time, I spoke the truth. I hated lying to them but I feared Bumpy's safety. What if they wanted to get it out? Over my pile of ashes was that going to happen.  
Skye told me goodbye and to keep calm and left. I waited until I heard the last car engine fade away in distance before climbing lithely out of the high bed.

After a shower and having inspected Bumpy from the outside, who hadn't grown many more since yesterday, which was somehow a relieve for me.  
Downstairs, I robbed the refrigerator from food and started eating happily. I was so glad I hadn't felt any signs of morning sickness today, that I decided to bake cookies.

Since there lived a lot of people in this house, there always was enough food and a great amount of ingredients for all kinds of dishes. I gathered what I needed for the choco-chip cookies I was planning to bake and set it all on the kitchen counter.  
I did as the recipe in Layla's Baking Book said and started mixing the dough. Once done, I made heart shapes of it and placed them on the baking tray. Setting the oven on the right time, I shoved the tray inside and closed the oven door.

"I think we should talk."

I shot upright, letting out a shriek when I heard Scarlett talking so suddenly. I hadn't heard her come in at all. Grasping my hand at my throat and breathing deeply for the right amount of air, I saw my oldest sister casually leaning against the counter with a nonchalant look.

"Jesus, Scar, you scared the crap out of me!" I hissed, shaking my head to take away the dizzy feeling form whirling up like that.  
"Can be fair, but I said we needed to talk." She hissed back. Scarlett wasn't someone to anger up very fast, but seeing the way she behaved and hearing her irritated thoughts, I took it she was quite mad at me. I must admit she did have the right to.

"Melody, I know something is up and I want to know what exactly that is. I want to help you whatever it is. That's where I'm your sister for." She said further as my resolve broke layer by layer. Maybe I should tell her. They'd find out soon enough when Bumpy started to show thus much that I couldn't hide it any longer.

Sighing in ushered her to the seat in front of me. "Sit down, this might be shocking…"  
With a frown Scarlett dropped her briefcase en sat down on the barstool in front of me, on the other side of the counter. I took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"Alright, so err….I….Well you see…" I stammered, not really knowing how I wanted to tell her this. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration._ 'Melody, just tell me. I'm a doctor, I've had quite the worse stories.'_  
"Well I get that, but it's…difficult. You'll hate me for this. I mean I hate lying, but I had too, I swear." I pleaded, my hands in front of me.  
"It's okay, just tell me. I'll promise not to tell anyone if that's makes it easier." She tried, her eyes wider and seeking for something. She was already thinking the weirdest things – drugs, smoking, having drunk the blood of a human and she even thought I might tell her I was lesbian. No, just _no_. She'd find out soon enough that, that wasn't the case at all.

"Alright I'll just say it – I'm not a virgin anymore." I said, feeling the hot blush creep into my cheeks. Scarlett was silent but I sensed her shock. Well if she thought this was odd, the next news would be even worse. Scar cleared her throat, "So,…a guy right?" she asked to be sure. I rolled my eyes, huffing a laugh, "Obviously." I murmured, making her frown once more.

"So there's more to this? Do you have a boyfriend then? Oh, my, did you two break up? is that why you're here?" she started guessing all kinds of things, grasping at straws. I was shaking my head the whole time.  
"No, Scar I don't. It was..ehm…you can see it as a one night stand." I explained, not sure how to either call it. Scarlett nodded as her mind raced with thoughts.

"Okay. How was it?" she asked me, making me blush harder and letting my head drop into my waiting hands. Scar chuckled, a light musical sound.  
"it was…life changing." I decided to say, praying she'd take the hint. She stopped chuckling, thinking again.

"What exactly do you mean by that, sister?"  
"Uuuhh…."  
"Melody…."  
"Well, he ehh…."  
"Just say it."  
"Well it's not importa – "  
"Now please!"

I shut up immediately and cast my eyes to my hands, fidgeting with the hemline of my shirt. I looked up at her as my eyes started watering. I was so scared.  
"He…left me a souvenir I guess."  
I winced, waiting for the outburst, but Scarlett was silent, however in the meanwhile her mind whirled.

"Oh goodness, are you…?" she pointed at me, her eyes pleading, worried as realization dawned. I swallowed thickly and nodded as the tear left my eye.  
"Oh Melody…." She sighed, rubbing her forehead. I sobbed, " I'm sorry, I didn't intend this to happen, Scar."  
As her hand touched mine, I looked up seeing her watery eyes. I wanted to read her mind for what exactly caused it, but she wouldn't let me.

"Did you test it?" she asked, making me nod sadly. then she stood up, taking me along with her by her arm. I followed her silently downstairs, to the basement where was built a medial/hospital room.  
The white room was a bit intimidating as I looked around. I'd been here for a month to revalidate from the accident. Adam had taken care of me here.  
I saw Scarlett walk over to a machine next to a small hospital bed. I went to stand next to her as she was busy turning it on. when I focused, I saw it was an ultrasound machine.  
"Lay down and pull your shirt over your belly, Mells." She said softly. I complied by wriggling myself on the bed and tilting up my sweater, revealing Bumpy for the first time. Scarlett's soft gasp made my eyes shot to hers, but she already gathered her calm mask and professionalism.

"this might be a tad cold," she explained before dribbling the, indeed cold, gel all over the skin. I shuddered from the anxiety for what was about to happen.  
Silently, Scarlett started to work over my skin with the small camera like device. I swallowed heavily waiting for her to speak. As she suddenly stopped, I followed her gaze to the screen. I gasped loudly when I, unclearly, saw the fetus like creature. That was Bumpy. It was so big already!  
Scarlett turned to look at me, searching my eyes and as I gazed into hers, we stared for what seemed a long time. at one point she spoke, proving what I'd already seen in Forks.

"Melody, you're pregnant."

* * *

**A/N2: okay, so it already was kinda obvious but I thought this was important. I want to make clear though: there being mentioned something about lesbians. Melody reacted weirdly to it but I have nothing against that! love is love. It was only said for the story. ;)**


	37. 36 -- Melody Swan

Silently we moved back to the kitchen and sat at the counter again.  
I swallowed heavily as I felt the need to cry. I just got confirmation that I wasn't imagining all this – Bumpy was really there.  
And I was happy about it. I was ecstatic that there was really growing a child inside me. Edward's child. Our baby. Maybe Bumpy would turn out to be E, since he looked so much like Edward.  
I wish Edward was here. That he could share this with me, but he wouldn't. And if he was here, his reaction might be completely different from mine though. I was only aware of Rose and Emmett's wish to have children. Esmé always wanted it too, but since her adoptive vampire kids came into her life, she felt completed.

"Are you even listening?" Scarlett's voice filled with unbelief sounded, rousing me from my daze. I looked at her and was surprised to see her mad with me after all. Her golden eyes stood harsh and cold.  
"Melody do you even realize what's happening? How did you get pregnant anyway?" Scarlett rushed, her brows creased as her hands swung around her indicating what she said.  
Fighting the urge to roll my eyes at her last question I answered, "No truly, I don't. all I know is that there's growing a baby within me and that it grows unbelievably fast. And seriously Scar? Are you asking me how? I'm sure you know how it all works and th – "  
"I know more than you obviously," she sneered, "if you had listened for once you wouldn't have ended knocked up by a one night stand!"  
I winced at her words. She was right and she damn knew it. her last words did hurt though.  
"I want to know what went wrong which makes you pregnant afterwards." Scarlett tried again, as I noticed she was trying to calm her voice. I thought about it for a while, probably too long as my sister started asking.

"did you use a condom, Melody?" she urged, looking me straight in the eye, which I loathed. I shook my head no, because we didn't. Actually I still believed at the time that Edward wouldn't be able to conceive. Scarlett sighed heavily.  
"Are you even on the pill?" was her next question which made me nod. I was indeed on birth control pills. '_you probably forgot to take them once?'_  
That made me look up sharply as I thought back to the harsh times. When I remembered I gasped, "oh fuck…"  
"well fuck indeed, while I don't like your choose of language however. So you forgot to take your pills?"  
"Yeah…I was stressed out, feeling like everything rushed past me that I forgot to take in the meds for a few days. Then I realized it wasn't really a problem since I wasn't sexually active anyway." I answered shrugging and trying to ease the conversation. My cheeks were having a hard time caused by the burning blood underneath the surface.

"why are you mad anyway? It's not like you're a saint or something. You got Denim with a man who was seven years older than you at that time!" I suddenly hissed, getting angry at her. She didn't even had the right to be mad at me at all. Her facial expression though told otherwise.  
"Yes, but I was married and in a relationship! I didn't just jumped someone to take away my virginity!" she yelled, making me wince.  
"Are you telling me I'm some kind of whore now? that I'm just as shallow as Bella is?" I asked in return, completely in disbelief.  
"Well you've lived for quite a while with her! It's not difficult for a human to take over the habits of another!"  
"Well for your information – I'm not a fucking human Scar! And I'm not a slut either! I was in love with him!" I bellowed, standing up and pointing angrily at her. Scarlett's eyes shot to mine at the exact point I realized what I'd just said.

"Melody who's the father?"  
"No."  
"Melody I'm only aski – "  
"I said NO! Why do you always have to act like you are my mother or something! You're not! You're my sister and you don't have the fucking right to tell me what to do or demand me anything! It's ridiculous that your angry with me about this! And it's not that I chose this alright!? it just happened!" I shrieked, completely hysterical now as tears of anger and frustration adorned my red cheeks.

"First of all – you don't have a mother! And as long as you live under my roof, you follow my rules! And how in the world can it just happen that you have sex with someone! It's clearly not the same as tripping over your own damn shoelaces!" she screeched back, standing in front of me now.  
"You should stop being so hysterical and listen for a change Melodiana Helena Marie! If you'd have listened to our very normal sexuality education where we frequently wanted to learn you about, then this wouldn't have happened at all!" Scarlett growled loudly.  
"Oh, so now I'm not ever allowed to fall in love and have sex with said person!? What the fuck is this!?" I yelled back once more. In the back ground I heard the front door opening but I was lunatic and not caring about the damn thing.

"That was not what I was implying! What I meant is that if you'd have listened, you would not be PREGNANT right now!"  
"Excuse me? Pregnant? Melody is that true?"  
Scarlett and I both shut up as we turned to see Adam standing there a bit away from us with a very astonished expression on his face.

My first intuition was to lie about it, but since he already heard and would find out sooner or later, I nodded almost unnoticing. Adam's eyebrows rose, as he placed his briefcase on a chair walking up to us, '_Well, we didn't expect_ that _to happen when you said you were going to forks.'_  
His hand touched my shoulder as he looked at his wife, sensing what went on as he came in.  
"Tell me from the very beginning, please." He asked, urging us to the barstools where we jumped off angrily earlier. The three of us sat down again, Scarlett and I with our arms crossed. Adam cleared his throat indicating that I should speak.  
"Well, I'm sure you get what I've done to get me into this state," I started, rolling my eyes, "But how I got pregnant is because I more than probably forgot to take my birth control for almost a week. After that I was depressive because my friends left…and at some point I started throwing up every morning, dreaming vividly and eating everything that sat loose and fixed. So at Christmas Eve, I was dressing up for dinner, when I suddenly felt something kick me from inside. So my mind started reeling and I though just to be sure that I should test it. so I did and it came back positive." I finished, my voice trailing off at the end. I looked at Adam who was studying me intensely and then nodded.

"And I guess that you was afraid to tell the father of the child, to tell Charlie or go to a doctor?," I nodded at him, " So that's why you came here?" he asked further, making me nod again. a crooked smile crept upon his face.  
"Too bad, I thought you were really here because you missed us. I'm actually hurt, my dear sister." he joked, faking a cry face. I giggled and Scarlett did too.  
"You are exactly right. I needed help with this and since I figured Bumpy is growing so fast, I knew you'd know how to get me through this." I said, glancing at both of them. Scarlett started chuckling and I frowned. When I wanted to ask why she started laughing, she already voiced her glee, "Are you calling the fetus 'Bumpy'."

My face burned as I smiled shyly, nodding, "Yeah, well it _is _a bump, and I was afraid for the word ba – well you know what I mean so I started to call it Bumpy." I admitted.  
"Melody, do you decide to keep it or do you want us to take – " I interrupted Adam immediately when I sensed where he was heading.  
"I'm keeping it. No doubt about that." I stated, maybe a tad harsher than I intended to do. They both smiled gleefully, which relieved me.  
"Well, in that case I think we should explain you how this pregnancy works. However, I'm curious why you're expecting a hybrid baby – the father was human right?" Adam questioned. I swallowed and didn't want to tell them that it was Edward for some reason. I just shrugged and told him I didn't know why it would. He ignored his curiosity, picked up a paper and pen and handed those to me, telling me I should write down important things.

"All right, so let's start with the most important for now. A human pregnancy takes nine months as I take you know. With our kind however it's three times shorter."  
I gasped loudly ,"Three months…?"  
My brother-in-law nodded, "Yes, indeed. In the first month you get the symptoms you just described so I take it you're already one month ahead. In the second month, the fetus grows even faster and we'll be able to really see you're pregnant. You can equalize the baby with a human baby from six months old. So you'll be in the midst of the pregnancy. The last month is to equalize as the ninth for a human. you should prepare for it that you might have a huge belly by then and pregnancy pains. The baby is very strong at that time so it's going to be very tough. But I'm sure you'll be fine, Melody." Adam finished explaining. I had it all written down, as I felt the blood flow form my face, as it paled.  
I was going to give birth to some human-vampire-hybrid-baby in two months.

"Melody, breath!" Scarlett admonished me suddenly, as I realized I was holding my breath. I wanted to cry – I wasn't expecting everything to go so fast. I wasn't ready for it yet. I'd have to get used to becoming a mother in less than two months. It was now, that I started freaking out.  
"I'm scared." I heard myself wail as my jaw started quivering. How was I going to raise it on my own? What was going to happen? Would the Volturi come looking for me?  
"Honey calm down, I understand you're scared, but you have to do this. It will be fine! We're going to help you with this!" Scarlett said as I felt her arms around my shoulders. I snorted and dried my face from the fallen tears.  
Adam stood up from his stool next to me and went to the cupboards, taking out all kinds of ingredients. Scarlett gave me a kiss on the head and let her arms drop before following her husband.  
[tan] "What are you doing?" I questioned, stepping from the stool myself. They glanced at me at the same minute I winced from another kick in my belly. Bumpy was awake guys.  
"We're going to make food for tonight. It's New Year's Eve remember? But anyway, what makes you look so difficult?" Scarlett explained as she started cutting chicken in strips.

"Oh, I uhh…well that was Bumpy I guess. He's kicking me. I think he woke up just now." I said blushing and biting my lower lip. Their heads shot to me first, and then down to where Bumpy lay. Scarlett dropped her knife and stood in front of me in a flash, startling me and also Bumpy who kicked another time.  
"Can I feel?" my sister asked enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with a strange emotion I couldn't quite read. I nodded frowning, a bit confused by how she reacted to all this. First she's fucking mad at me and then she's all 'I love this little fetus thing'.  
Scarlett lay her tepid hand on my lower belly and looked at me as Adam came to stand behind her, watching my face intently also.  
We waited a few seconds when I felt Bumps kick again. Scar gasped loudly and smiled.

"Oh my god, Adam he's so strong!" she exclaimed in amazement. Adam smiled at me and his wife.  
"well, then I take it he's healthy."

we all smiled from the somewhat awkward situation. There we stood, my brother and sister feeling at their fifteen year old sister's belly, where a supernatural baby was kicking form inside the womb. It was weird, but our kind of normal.

The remainder of the afternoon, Scarlett, Adam and I, started preparing all the dishes for the night. We'd decided not to have dinner since we'd have enough food for the whole drag of the evening and made sure everything was done and set. During cooking, we made small talk as they told me all stories of what they'd done here and what I'd missed while being in Forks. We made agreements on, that they wouldn't say anything about my pregnancy to the others until I was ready enough for that. Scarlett wanted to argue, but Adam said I was right, which Scarlett later agreed on. after that, we dropped the subject . even though I particularly liked it to talk about it, the glow and glee of expecting a baby, it made me agitated at the same time – it made me think even more about Edward and worsened the physical pain of the great distance between our souls.  
There was literally growing a part of him inside me. And how funny as it might sound, I was fucking proud of that.  
"Melody, hand me a dishcloth will you?" Scarlett said, holding out her arm as she quickly placed the last plate into the oven. I grabbed a cloth from a hook next to refrigerator and handed it to her. She took it from me, 'Thank you' and stilled as she faced me.  
"What is it?" I questioned, confused again. it something I had to live with I assumed.  
"I ehm…Melody I'm sorry for being so mad at you earlier. I shouldn't have done it the way I did, even though I was angry at you for a good reason." She admitted, casting her eyes down. I stood awkwardly in front of her, my arms folded around my chest.  
"Scar it's okay. I did expect it on some degree." I replied to her, looking up and seeing her smile apologetically. I grinned back and stepped forward to envelop her into a hug. when her arms were enclosed around my upper body, I whispered softly onto her shoulder.  
"Scarlett, you might not be my mother, but you should know, that for me, you were the closest to one."

I felt her smile into my hair as she kissed me on the head. I gave her one last squeeze before letting her go and letting her know I was going to take a shower. I went up the stairs to go to my bedroom, where I grabbed fresh underwear. Not much later I stood underneath the warm water and relaxed under the spray. Washing my hair and my body with a washcloth I fell into the imagination of Edward being here with me. holding me in his arms and whispering sweet words into my ears. That he'd touch my belly to feel Bumpy underneath and smile so brightly that it'd make me cry the bittersweet tears of pure happiness. That he'd be here celebrating the New Year with me and my crazy family.  
I missed him so much. How he'd ever thought that I might forget his existence. Never. And with Bumpy here, I wouldn't even be able to start with it.  
I rinsed of the shampoo and stepped out, noticing my blotchy eyes in the fogged up mirror. After drying off and swirling a towel around my hair, I went back to my room in my underwear to search for a nice party dress. I had enough of those in my closet so it would be easy to get one. I remembered my satin blue cocktail dress from last year and searched through the hangers to get it. when I found it, I took it of the hanger and stepped in between the material before tugging it upwards. Finally having my arms stuck into the sleeves, I wanted to zip it close at the side. However, it wouldn't zip close. I kept tugging and went to my mirror frustratingly.

"Oh, no! not now! Damn it, Bumpy!" I whined softly when I saw the reason for the stuck zipper. I'd though the pleats in the dress would cover up Baby Bumps, but unfortunately, they didn't. And now I was even to fat that the damn zipper wouldn't close. Hell! All my dresses were quite like this, except for my sundresses which were all wide and with an A-shape. But if everyone was going to wear a nice dress I couldn't just wear a simple sundress. I squirmed out of the blue satin, dropping it to the ground and tip-toed to the door, opening it so my head would stuck through.  
"Scarlett?" I whined, questioningly through the silent hall. I was sure she could hear me. I waited for a minute when I heard her footfalls close to my room. Second later she appeared around the corner at looked at me with raised eyebrows.  
"what's wrong?" she asked as she faced me at the door. I blushed a bright red and looked at her pleadingly. "My dresses don't fit…" I admitted, somehow ashamed. Scarlett smiled warmly at me and shook her head, '_Ah, I get your problem baby Swan. Let me in,' _she said through her mind. I opened to door further and she slipped through.  
Scarlett went into my closet probably searching for something that would fit better and hide my belly. When she came back out I scowled when I saw her lips downwards. There weren't any party dresses that would be sitting great for tonight.  
"No, don't get mad yet, just wait a little minute alright?" she said before leaving my room, shutting the door behind her. I waited, biting my lower lip and rocking from side to side. When Scarlett returned into my room she held a shopping bag from Calvin Klein. She walked up to me and took out a burgundy colored chiffon mini dress. It had crossed pleats on the heart shaped chest and around the waist from where it flowed down in an A-shape. It had thick straps and when Scarlett turned it around, I saw it had a low back as well. Scarlett handed it to me and said I should try it, which I did without arguing about the obvious expensive brand. I stepped in it just like I did with the other and tugged it upwards with a little help from Scar. She stepped behind me and zipped it close smoothly, making me smile. It fit perfectly and as I saw myself in the mirror, it was just like it used to be – so no sign of Bumps. I noticed the hemline fell upon beneath my thighs even as the cups of the dress were greatly shaped around my chest. Scarlett came p behind me and unrolled the white towel from my hair and whirled her hand through the wet tendrils, making me chuckle.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked when she suddenly started brushing my hair with a fairytale like comb. I smiled sheepishly, looking at her through the mirror.  
"I love it. How did you get this?" I returned the question.  
"I bought it for Skye last week, thinking that would be the perfect dress for a shoot she was doing, but then I heard she already had one. The size was too small for me, so I figured it must fit you instead. You can keep it if you like." She explained, heading for the door. I looked down at the dress and then back to her.  
"Thank you, Scar. I'll be down in a minute."  
Scarlett nodded and left my room, heading down stairs to set the table and get dressed herself. I went back to the bathroom to dry my hair and touch up my makeup. the grey smokey eyes combined beautifully with my burgundy red dress. My eyes were still dark, with the ring of cold around it, but maybe if I found a way to hunt some time, that would change. I found myself wondering what eye color Bumpy might have, but thinking further, I figured they must be golden too.  
Before going downstairs to join the others, who had come in just after Scarlett helped me out with the dress incident, I tripled back to my room to retrieve my suede, burgundy colored high heels with silver colored studs on the sides of the heel. I was glad I once bought those shoes somewhere for some vague reason. I had way too many shoes.

I checked out myself in the mirror once more, being glad with the result.  
I wore the dress Scarlett gave me, with skin colored stockings underneath, followed with the shoes. My face was makeup in the exact right way for a New Year's Eve party at home while my hair hung down my back in accentuated ringlets.  
Smiling I stepped down the stairs without any effort. When I entered the living room, I was surprised they were all already home and dressed. Seemed that that one minute ended up being much longer.  
"Hey sweetie! You look all pretty tonight!" Skye said, wanting to hug me but remembering my reaction from yesterday. Scarlett had hugged me of course, but she knew of Bumpy, so she could.  
"Thanks, you're not so bad either, sis." I replied, mingling myself into the group. Skye wore a strapless jade-green dress that sat tight around her curves. Her black heels were nicely combined while her long brown hair was bound in some French up-do she once told me about.  
I started chatting with all my siblings and played some board game with my cousins, which I lost as usual.  
When it neared eleven, Nathan came to me with the phone. I looked at him confusingly.

"It's Dad. I think he figured out you got here."


	38. 37 -- Melody Swan

**Ladies i'm very sorry for the delay! I've bene loaded with homework and nagging teachers theese days...I'll update faster! hope you like..**

* * *

I immediately felt sick when my brother handed me the phone. Seeing his facial expression let me know he wasn't pleased with this either – the fact that I didn't tell Charlie where I went.

I pushed the phone at my ear and walked into the kitchen to have some kind of privacy, even though they'd hear every single word we'd say.  
"Hello?" I said cautiously through the horn.  
"Thank God, I got you! Will you never, ever, but EVER do that to your old man ever again Melodiana Helena Marie Swan!" Charlie's burst through the speaker. I winced at the loud sounds and kept the phone a few inches from my ear.  
"I'm sorry dad, really, but if I told you, I was afraid you wouldn't let me go." I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose. I heard a huffing sound from the other side of the line, like he didn't believe me.  
"I don't know where you've been lately, but do you remember I wanted to send you off to LA and you were the one to fight against me, not wanting to go?" he said back sharply. Shit, I forgot that. Thinking of good tale to tell, or just another white lie, he probably thought my musings were taking too long.  
"when are you coming back, Melodiana?" he asked, retrieving my immediate attention. I hadn't even thought about that. Everything had been so overwhelming the last few days that I never thought about what I was going to do in the future. And now Charlie cut the subject, I was starting to panic.  
"I…I don't know yet, Dad. I just need some time to…get over it, to adjust it all. I promise to come back, but just not yet." I said as an answer, hating the fact that my siblings could hear just about everything. Charlie was silent for a while as I waited for him to speak.

"Is this why you hugged me while you were crying? Why you were so upset? You were already planning on it, didn't you?"  
I sighed, feeling the tears ting and the panic about my future constrict in my chest. "Dad, I…Yes, that's true," I admitted almost unheard, "I just don't want to say goodbye to people I love anymore, in whatever situation it might be. It hurts, Dad." I finished, feeling a tear slip over my now warm, glowing cheek. I was seriously hating the new addition to my pregnancy – the mood swings and over reacting emotions.  
"I understand that Melody, but if you just told me this, there wouldn't have been a problem. Just call me soon again all right?" he replied, his voice unsure at the end. I told him I would, but already decided not to do it – lying was difficult and if Bumpy was getting really 'real', it would be even harder. So if I didn't call, I wouldn't have to lie much more than I'd already done.  
"all right, I got to go – I made plans to celebrate at Billy's tonight. Bella's asking for you too. she's actually worried Melody."  
I frowned, "Okay. Just tell her I'm fine." I replied.  
"will do. Happy New Year Melody." My father said in a calm, reassuring voice. New Year. This new year was bringing much more new than just the year. Would it be happy? Hard, yes definitely, but happy? I should make bumpy happy, I promised him that.

"Yeah, you too, Happy New Year, Daddy."

After I hung up the phone, I laid it on the kitchen counter and went straight to the balcony, ignoring my siblings. When I reached the French doors that where hidden behind the curtain in squeezed myself through them before closing it behind me and drinking in the sight of the ever living city Los Angeles. There were parties everywhere with loud music lights, drinks and a lot of teenagers. If I was normal I probably would've been there too, getting drunk hopping from one night stand to another and not caring about anything that presumed the future and only living in the YOLO aspect of living.

But I wasn't normal, certainly far from a slut and now completely at a loss for my future. What was I going to do?  
I had left Forks, which also meant school. winter break was obviously still going on but seeing I'd be a walking bowling ball for the next two months, I couldn't just go back there. going to school in LA wasn't an option either for same reasons. My mind was at a chaos. How about my Senior Year? My grades? What would I do for college and where would I go? And more important – what would be happening with Bumpy and how was he going to fit in my future plan?  
I shook my head to try and bring some peace into my mind, so I could think straight. My first priority would be to get through those three months and set Bumpy safely on earth and staying alive during the complicated process. I tried very hard not to think about how the 'setting Bumpy on earth' activity was going to be, but couldn't suppress the wince.  
I thought that when I had Bumpy, I could try and leave, find a way to take care of myself, in order to avoid danger, Charlie and the pain I caused by my loved ones. But I had no education and was only fifteen to begin with. But I had money enough to permit myself one.  
The sound of the glass doors scraping against its trail, I turned around to see my cousin Faith, Nathan's daughter, standing in the doorway, looking worried. _'Can I come in?' _  
I nodded at her and she closed the door. behind her in the room I saw my siblings, looking at us, but averting their gazes when I saw. Not that I didn't knew they were wondering why I needed a moment for myself.

Faith came to stand next to me, her light, caramel colored hair getting a shimmer in the soft lights of the far away centre of the city. She was just a tad shorter than I was, maybe five centimeters, and wore a soft pink dress from chiffon at short ruffled sleeves. It was really her style and along with her shoes, which she styled up herself, she was a vision.  
"Are you okay?" she asked cautiously, stepping closer and looking me in the eye. I smiled lightly, "I've been better, but it's nothing you have to worry about, sweetie." I answered, facing her troubled expression.  
"Listen, it's nothing, really. Maybe I'm going to get the flu. That's nothing major." I said, feeling a bit backward because she was so sad. Faith smiled at me as her mind got peace over it, believing what I'd said. I would have to wean from lying some day.

"So, where did you get this pretty dress of yours?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject, making Faith's smile brighten enormously when she started telling me how and where she got it and which dresses she couldn't choose between. I listened, for real as we got back inside, and smiled and laughed with her.

And then just suddenly, I looked at her – like, really looked at her. She was a hybrid child. She was born from a vampire and one of my kind. She had grown up to a twelve year old in three years. She was just like _my baby_ would be. Because that is what Bumpy was after all – _a baby_. And then from in one moment I got an image in my head that couldn't be burned.  
Denim, Faith, Alana and E, as a toddler just like I remembered him, playing together, laughing. And then he'd run up to me, call me mommy and say that he loved me.  
I gasped loudly as tears welled up in my eyes, but not those of grief.  
"Melody? What's wrong?" I heard Nathan ask form behind me. I swallowed thickly and turned around.  
"I..I just," I couldn't find the words. I wanted to tell them, but I was scared. I searched for Adam and Scarlett, who looked at me with confused expressions. I gave my eyes the right intensity, asking if this was right. Scarlett's eyes widened as she glanced at her husband and then they both nodded. I swallowed again, nodding also.

"Melody? Could you enlighten us please? I'm getting crazy about this whole secret conversations thing," my brother said again. I cleared my throat, preparing myself for what I was about to do.

"I have to tell you guys something. But it's quite….shocking. you might want to take a seat I guess." I said, realizing I'd started and there was no way back now.

Their minds were shouting through my head, all confused. Adam and Scarlett gave me a reassuring smile as they stood next to me.  
"We'll help you out if it gets to crazy in here all right?" Scarlett said, rubbing over my shoulder in an attempt to calm me somewhat. Chris and Nathan sat down on a chair, just as Layla and Skye did on the couch. Denim, Faith and Alana gathered on the ground and they all stared at me. they all had their own assumptions about what might be 'so shocking'. I was hesitating between saying it right away or start at the very beginning.  
"All right, so, uhm…I'll start at the beginning which was like a year ago." I started, wriggling nervously with my fingers.  
"When I was new at school, I was totally mesmerized by this guy and – "  
"Wait a minute here. You were chasing some guy!? Melody what the fuck?" Nathan already interrupted me while I hadn't even told the worst part. Layla chastised him for the language with the kids close. "Let her tell the story. she has the same right to be attracted to someone as you do, Nate." She spat at him. it was good to know she was on my side. Nathan huffed but sat back in the chair, his eyes fixated on me as he started to think of a plan to snap the guys neck. I guessed Edward wouldn't have been save if he was here.  
"Well, so…" I didn't know what to day in between since I didn't want them to know who Bumpy's father was. that would make me very bad since they all knew Edward was Bella's boyfriend. I pinched the bridge of my nose and searched for neater words but, hell, I couldn't.  
"Let's cut the crap! I'm sorry dear brothers I know you wanted to protect my virtue, but seriously…I'm not a virgin anymore." I said, blushing a bright red and biting my lower lip, waiting for the outburst. Skye and Layla cheered and applauded which made me smile.  
"You go girl!" they said. My cousins knew about the whole sex part exists but didn't want to deal with it so they were just silent.

_'Holy Mother of Hell...'_ Chris thought, his eyes wide. Even though he wasn't my real brother, he acted like one indeed. He didn't think it was thus bad as Nathan did, which was why I didn't dare to look at him nor to read his mind.

"YOU HAD SEX WITH A DUDE!" he roared, standing up, getting my attention. He stood right in front of me, making me take a step back.  
"I had sex with a girl, happier now!?" I yelled back, seeing his eyes widen.

"YOU HAD SEX WITH A PUSSY! SERIOUSLY!?" he roared now, even angrier than before which surprised me. I thought that everything was right, except a guy.  
"NATHAN! Stop it!" Layla yelled at him but he didn't listen to her, neither did I.  
"NOOOO! That was a joke you dumb-ass!"  
"WHERE. IS. THAT. GUY?" he growled, completely lunatic. I shook my head.  
"Nathan, we don't talk anymore. it was just once. Done." I said.  
"IT WAS A FUCKING ONE NIGHT STAND!?" he roared in a new tone, more angry than he was. I sighed heavily, letting my arms drop.  
"please, Nathan. I'm not a little girl anymore. you can't protect me from everything!" I said defeated afraid for what he might do when I told him about Bumps. He didn't reply but it was obvious he tried to accept it.

Chris chuckled," before we know it, she's telling us she pregnant." He joked, making Nathan growl extremely loud. The room became awfully silent at once. Seven pairs of golden eyes poised themselves at me. at me, who was blushing wildly, crying by this point and averting my eyes.

_'Oh my God…she is! She's pregnant!_' Skye's voice whispered in my head.  
"Aw, Hell! Melody! Is that actually true?" it was Chris' turn to freak now too. Nathan looked like he was about to explode or too faint.

"Yes. Yes, I'm really pregnant." I whispered, at the exact moment the clockwork hit midnight, and sobbing from the stress this all caused me. Bumpy decided it was time to make its presence known, by kicking my insides. Firework exploded outside in the city where everyone was celebrating the new year.  
Skye was the first to get out of her shocked state and get to me, taking me in her arms. "How far along are you," she whispered.

"One month exactly," I replied with my eyes closed. A loud roar and a crack of splintering glass made us all look up to see Nathan jump from the balcony. This was the second time he became so angry that he killed a door and ran away to cool down.  
"I'm so sorry! I understand you guys are mad at me, I do, but I couldn't help it!" I sobbed as they stared at me. Skye and Layla were both crying, while Scarlett and Adam told my cousins to go outside to watch and light the fireworks.

The silence was excruciating as I was left with Chris, Layla and Skye. When I couldn't take it anymore, wanting to leave and feeling that I ruined New Year's Eve, Chris spoke up.  
"Did you…love the guy?" he asked softly. I turned my head and nodded.  
"Yes, I do. So, so much." I whispered, making him nod.  
"Then it's okay. As long as you are happy with this, that you're having his baby, then I'm too." he said, rushing to me and enveloping me in his strong brotherly hug. two other pairs of arms enclosed around us, as my sisters joined, saying all kinds of words to me, that they'd be there for me and support me. And just like that, even though Nate left and freaked out, I knew that going back to Los Angeles had been a good idea.  
"Come on, Pigmy, let's go outside for the fireworks."Chris said, clapping my shoulder in a cheering up manner. I nodded and smiled, wiping away the tear stains on my cheeks.  
As we went outside, Skye chuckled, "Looks like we can't exactly call you Baby Swan now anymore, is it?"  
We laughed quietly together joining Scar, Adam and the kids as we watched the beautiful firework. Looking up to the sky I swallowed, moving my hands to my lower belly, brushing over Bumpy in a soothing manner.

_Wherever you are, Edward, Happy New Year…_

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**A/N: so did we like our Nathan getting mad like that?...XD he's very...well like melody in most aspects. I love it if you review to me! **


	39. 38 -- Scarlett Bright

**A/N: alright, so It takes a lot of time for me to constantly wait to update. I hope you don't mind I just post the remainder of the whole story! Then Edward's back sooner and we're closer to part three of this saga! ^^**

**I'm not going to place an author's note ine very chapter, I jsut hope yoiu enjoy it, love it, like or whatever you want to do ;) And please review! I aprreciate that! ;)  
**

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**Scarlett Marie Swan Bright**

I looked at him in confusion. What was he trying to say? I creased my brows an crossed my arms, glaring at him.  
"Maybe we shouldn't do this, love, it's too danger – " he explained but I already cut him off, standing in front of him in a flash and jabbing my finger into his chest.  
"Listen to me, Adam, don't tell me what is right or not! We've come this far already and now it's not the time to ruin it!" I said, my facial expressions softening now. I couldn't stay mad at him too long, or shouldn't be at all, but since I started changing the aggressive moods where an awful extra. Poor Adam he had to deal with all this.  
"Adam, I know you're a vampire, I know you are so strong…" I told him, looking deep in his golden eyes which were shimmering with a kind of agony, "and I also understand your reasoning but I'm not human myself and you know that! We can make this work." I said sternly, grabbing hold of his cold hand in mine. I swallowed thickly as I thought of the words I wanted to say.  
"And if we do…we can get married, we can be happy. Forever. Isn't that what you want? I mean, I might be only fifteen but, I…I love you."  
His eyes lit up at my confession. Sure he'd heard it before, but those three words always seemed to enlighten him. his beautiful smile widened on his pale, polished feeling face. When he sighed, I knew I won.  
"All right, you're probably right, but…" he said, making me feel disappointed again. Adam with his 'but' all the time.  
"…I'm only doing this – making love to you after we're married."  
My mouth fell open agape.

"seriously? Why? My dad might actually want me to wait until I'm forty or something!" I squeaked, fearing I might end up staying an old virgin and having to resist this sexy boyfriend of mine. Even though he was twenty-seven, I knew we belonged together.  
"Scarlett it's how I was raised, which was a very long time ago. You know that. And next to that – you're so young." He said, emphasizing with his hand.  
"You said you didn't have a problem with that."  
He huffed, rolling his eyes, making a puddle of jelly from my legs, "Scar, I don't, that's true but come on – I'm not having sex with an under-age girl who is not my wife. It's wrong in my world."  
I moaned in frustration and let my head fall against his stony chest, making him chuckle."I take it, that trying to seduce you won't bring me anywhere either, will it?" I tried for one more time. Adam chuckled a 'no'.  
When my phone rang I almost jumped through the ceiling form the sound. I didn't dare to look, but needed to, for the safety of our relationship.  
It was my father, sending a text, **'Scar, I'm home late tonight. Can you tell your Mom? She's not picking up the phone. X Dad.'**  
I sighed in relief, being glad no one busted us. our relationship was top-secret and especially for my parents of course. I snuggled into Adam's embrace and blushed when he kissed me fiercely. I'd never get enough of that.  
"I have to go. I love you, doc." I said giggling at the doc part. He rolled his eyes at the nickname I used sometimes. "I love you too, Scar."

I exited his apartment quietly and making sure no one saw me leaving. When I'd left the building I walked to the woods on a human pace until I was in, far away enough from the human eye. I knew the forest of Forks almost on every tree and started running. My running had improved since I met Adam, which made my younger brother and sister jealous. If Melody was, I wouldn't know – she was only two years old. She was smart though, for a toddler but understood so less of everything still.  
I neared the area that I knew was close to home and slowed my pace a bit, not wanting to waste too much energy – I still had homework to complete. When I smelled something familiar, I stopped, hiding behind a tree.  
I was curious what it might be, seeing it was so obviously familiar, and peeked alongside the thick wood of the tree to see. I stifled a gasp when I saw my mother on the ground, more below, stalking up to someone. At the way she moved, it was obvious to me she was hunting a prey, but shaping my sight, I saw someone walking further ahead of her – the forester. Just when I started to realize what she was doing, a twig broke from under my feet, getting the forester's attention. He saw my mother, who had turned her gaze to where I was hiding once again behind the tree, praying she'd just think it was an animal. My mother explained to the forester she was just taking a walk and she let him go, without trying to hunt him down again. I heard her run away to the house and I followed a few minutes after.

I was starting to get angry, so angry about what she was doing, that I almost yanked the backdoor out of its hinges. I stomped inside, throwing my coat and backpack somewhere on the ground and stalking quietly into the kitchen, where she was now, setting up tea. I listened for where my siblings were – Nate was doing homework, Skye was watching a Disney movie with Melody along as she giggled about something.  
I stood behind my mom now with my arms crossed.  
"What the hell were you doing?" I asked, my voice still quiet. The muscles in her back tensed violently and form then on I knew she knew I'd seen it. she turned around, making me face my almost replica. "Where are you talking about, sweetie?" she tried, but I saw the sides of her mouth twitch and her eyes flicker.  
"Don't act like you don't know – I saw it. Everything. It was a good thing that I accidently stepped on the twig wasn't it?" I raged, my voice even as I took a step closer to her. We were the same height, which made me looking into her golden eyes.  
"I wonder if those eyes of yours aren't secretly red for once in a while! I'm sure it's not the first time you did this , is it?" I went on, my jaw snapped together. How dare she? How could she do this to us, if Charlie told us we could never, ever kill a human being. It wasn't moral – we here partly human ourselves.  
"What makes you think that you, my daughter, can tell me what or not to do?" she replied sternly. I raised an eyebrow and letting out a cynical laugh.  
"Oh, you're right I shouldn't, but seriously, Fiorenza, you swore you didn't hunt humans! I believed you until now!" I screeched, growling in between. Lion was out the cage now – watch out for claws.  
"Scarlett Marie Swan!"  
"HOW MANY!?" I yelled through her calling my full name, thinking she could still tell me what to do. No way in hell was I going to let a human-drinking leech direct my life.

A nasty, sneering grin appeared on her face, making her look like someone else truly. Gone was the always loving mother. Gone was the friendly Italian woman who loved to cook pasta and drink coffee in all kinds of flavors. But at the same time, she finally arrived. This was my mother – not the other one, the good one. This had been her all along.  
"I don't think I can count them, child." She sneered. I vibrated with anger.

She'd lied. Our whole life had been a lie, an illusion.

The last few days have been a drag. Since New year's Eve, the day that my youngest sister told us she was pregnant, everything seemed to have changed. Everyone kept looking at her, asking her, but wanting to keep their distance at the same time – we all knew how those pregnancies felt and it wasn't pretty, especially not in the second month. Layla had been completely worried about Nathan since he ran away so furiously. Melody felt enormously guilty about all of it and I heard her crying every night from her bedroom. 'Bumpy', as she liked to refer to the baby, had grown vastly and was now easily seen from underneath her shirts. When Skye remarked this, about her showing, she started to act even more distant than she already did since her friends had left. It was like she pushed away all kind of emotions again, just like she did after she was released from the hospital last autumn.  
I tried to get her to talk, since I could sense and see she was not dealing with this very well, but she wouldn't say a word. And especially not on who the father was.  
I turned the page of the magazine I was reading, admiring the beautiful dresses of the brides. It got me wondering if Melody would ever get married after the baby was born. If she got back to her mate that is.  
I wasn't sure though if she was mated now, or not – she said it was a one-night stand after all and we all weren't familiar with that.  
She was pretending to be OK. But I knew she wasn't. And that all started when she woke up all those months ago.

_Eight. The amount of days that it had been so far. The days where my little sister still hadn't woken up. on bright days like these, as the sun shone through the hospital windows, I still had the hope she would wake anytime soon. But when twilight hit, and the moon replaced the sun, casting darkness over the vibrant city of Los Angeles, I started panicking, thinking she'd never open her eyes again.  
I opened the door of the room. It was quite spacious for one patient, but we wanted it that way. She lay next to the window, still stuck on all those wires and machines, as those helped her survive. She'd always been a very bright, crazy person which made it so awful to see her just laying there, doing nothing – only breathing shallowly._

I picked up a chair and shoved it next to her bed, sitting down. I watched the wall behind her, smiling faintly upon seeing the drawings and 'get well soon' cards hanging on it. My son, Faith and Alana felt so guilty about all of it that they kept making drawings for her. Strange maybe, for teenagers, but technically they were only younger than four years.  
I just sat there watching, checking her vitals which were still working excellently. Her heart rate was weaker than it used to be before, but it wasn't dangerous.  
I wondered why it took her so long – Adam had bitten her, heard her heart start to beat again, but she still hadn't woken up. normally this happens in between three days. But maybe the wounds had to be healed, slowly, making us to wait patiently for her return to consciousness.  
I picked up the book I was currently reading and just enjoyed her silent presence in the room, the constant beep of the heart monitor soothing me somewhat.

An hour, three chapters and five pages passed, when I caught movement form the corners of my eyes. I looked at her, but didn't see anything – I probably imagined it.  
At once the heartbeat started to get faster, stronger. All kinds of machines began to work frantically as I held my breath, standing up and watching her enormously paled face.  
My breathing stocked when I saw her eyelids flutter, squeeze and when small movements were made with her arms. A small whimpering sound escaped her throat as her facial expression was pulled into a grimace, probably form the immense pain she must be feeling. Suddenly she stopped moving all together, her heart skipping a beat.

And then, her eyes opened.

I was gasping as the tears streamed down my cheeks. There was so much relief, so much pain and happiness. She'd opened her eyes, she stayed with us.  
"Oh Melody!" I exclaimed through the sobs. Her eyes were shooting from place to place frantically. She must be so disoriented from all this. When she hears me calling her name, the striking golden gems shoot to me. I smile widely but when a look of utter terror and fear crosses her face, making her pupils dilate, my smile falters.  
The heart monitor gets frantic even as her breathing and blood pressure. I wanted to reassure her, by touching her forehead, but when is tuck out my hand, she began whimpering terrifyingly. She was terrified of me.  
"N-n-no! s-stay away from me! You k-killed me! I-I…" she started screeching anxiously and now I got why she wanted me to back off – I looked so much like her. And she was the last persons he'd seen before passing out.  
At that point her heart rate started get to a dangerous pace as her eyes were wide open, her body shaking all over as she cried from the pain it caused form the wounds.  
I took my bleeper and called Adam, "Emergency in ICU room number fourteen! I need help NOW!" I yelled through it stepping away from my sister. I wanted to calm her down, but if she thought I was my mother, it would only worsen her condition and she could literally scar herself to death.

Faster than possible my husband rushed into the room, carrying a small tube with some liquid goo.  
I watched as he hung over her placing the tube on her IV wire. When she saw him, she immediately relaxed a bit.  
"A-Adam! Help me! please!" she cried helplessly as Adam soothed her by telling her she was alright and that no one wanted to harm her.  
"Go to sleep, sweetheart, your sister and I will take care of you," he said as the heart monitor got its normal beep back and her breathing its right pattern. Her eyelids fluttered before closing peacefully. Adam sighed deeply and turned around before walking up to me and enveloping me in his cold, lovingly embrace.  
"Oh, honey, that must be so awful for you." He said, brushing my hair with his hand. I swallowed," I know why she acted like that…."  
Adam pulled back a little so he could see my face, "Why?"  
"she thought I was Fiorenza. She said I killed her. No wonder she got so panicked." I explained, averting my eyes form his.  
"I told all of you that this was expected. That I closed the physical wounds, doesn't mean she's healed. I can't heal the mental damage that was caused that night, my love. She has to do that by herself, with us helping her from all sides when she's losing it."

I nodded in understanding. This was all so risky. She woke up, so fearful that her terror almost became fatally.


	40. 39 -- Scarlett Bright

It was eleven o'clock on a chilly, sunny Wednesday morning in January. Everyone had left the house for their jobs and school, which left me at home, with Melody still sleeping. She did that a lot, sleeping, also belonging with her pregnancy. I smiled happily. Yes, I was mad at her for being so risky – and she was just fifteen after all.  
But when I thought about it, I noted that I maybe was a tad out of line. She was just like me, Nathan and Skye. So she also had the right to have a child, but I never knew if she dreamed of that wish. I was glad she got the chance to experience this before she changed completely. This had been her only chance in conceiving a child and I decided it didn't matter how old she was and how long she knew the boy she'd shared the bed with. As long as she was happy, we were.

The crack of the stairs, made me aware that she was probably awake/ she'd started her second month, so Bumpy could grow through the nights. I set the coffee machine to prepare hot chocolate for her, since she preferred that in the morning. As she rounded the corner, she yawned, holding one hand across her mouth while the other unconsciously lay on the very top of her belly. And a is expected, the bump had grown fast, and vastly in comparison with one week ago, when I'd touched it for the first time.  
"G'morning Scar," she yawned another time and popped on the chair in front of where I sat. I placed the mug of steamy chocolate in front of her, "Morning Melody. Did you sleep well?" I asked, walking to the refrigerator now, to prepare her some breakfast. I knew she did that by herself, but I just couldn't help it to help a pregnant woman – it was my job after all.  
When I was done making her breakfast and had set a full plate in front of her, I saw her sigh. I wait for her to speak her mind.

"It's still so…" she starts, looking at her belly which was now just a big as that from a four months old fetus. I laid a reassuring hand on hers, squeezing it," believe me, I know. It's very overwhelming and you're not really realizing it all, but you will sooner or later." I explained. I'd been in this situation either. The only big difference, was that I had Adam – she was a lonely mother already.  
"He's so huge…" she whispers, with an amazed edge in her soft tone. I chuckled shaking my head, "Well, I don't want to frighten you further, but he's going to be even bigger than this." I said as she took a bite of her sandwich, scrunching her nose at my words.  
"But, eh….he, huh?" I tried to keep her talking about this. She never really spoke about it, about becoming a mother and having a baby to take care of. She blushed pinkish and looked down, stroking over Bumpy almost automatically.  
"Yeah,…I didn't realize I was calling it a 'he' but, yeah…Bumpy might be a boy right? I mean, fifty percent isn't it?" she said, smiling while I caught an unknown spark in her eyes as she spoke about it.  
"And what if Bumpy is a girl?" I asked in return, curious what she might say. Melody shrugged, raising her brows, "Well then I should call her Bumpette, isn't it?" she giggled, taking another vast bite of her sandwich. I grimaced playfully.  
"Please tell me you're not calling it like that? Bumpette, Melody? Please don't do that to the child," I giggled along with her as she scrunched up her nose again.  
"Nah, that sounds funny now, but I'm not introducing her as 'Bumpette Swan'. That sounds weird." She replied making me think.  
"And now it's a girl?" I asked, noticing she started to call it a 'her'. She rolled her eyes in a extremely Melody way. I was positive Bumpy, or Bumpette would take over the habit.  
"….have you thought about names yet? I mean, it goes faster than you'd think," I hesitated with asking, but it was a normal thing to ask. I'd caught the last name – she kept it at Swan. Melody blushed a brighter red than before and smiled sheepishly.  
"Yeah…since I told you guys I've been thinking about it. but it's difficult. What do you think?"  
I smiled, "hmm… I like Nikki or Rosie for a girl," I said, seeing her frown deeply, "and I think Josh and Dean are nice for a boy."  
Melody frowned even deeper, "Uh…well since my baby is extraordinary, I'd like a name that fits with that as well. Something different." she explained, blushing again. those cheeks might explode someday from the stream of heated blood that constantly ran beneath the skin.

"Well, what are you thinking about then?" I asked, honestly curious with what she might come up.  
"For a girl? I don't really know yet….something with combined names maybe? I mean, I like Elizabeth and Isabella, but calling her Bella is not an option you know?" she chuckled while I couldn't help the irritated look on my face by hearing the name of our half sister. I didn't like her and not at all since she had a relationship with Edward, Melody's friend. I thought it was a chance for my little sister, but Melody assured me during summer that she only liked him as a friend.  
"so….Elizabella? how does that sound?" she went on, deep in thought with a single finger on her cheek.  
"I think I like it. it's….old fashioned in a new jacket." I told her, taking the dishes with me so I could wash them.

"hmm…Elizabella Anne Cu – Swan... I like it!" she said brightly making me smile gladly. It was tough but she'd get there.  
"Nice! And for a boy? Same theory? Charladam?" I joked, hearing her groan in disgust. "Good Fucking Lord, No! that sounds ridiculous, Scar!" she laughed, and just when I wanted to chastise her for the F-word, I suddenly heard a mewling sound. It made me turn around.  
"What's wrong?" I asked upon seeing her troubled, scrunched up face as she breathed harshly.

"I think Elizabella doesn't like my choice of words…." She mewled, probably kicked again by the strong child inside of her. I let out an hearty round of laughter.  
"But seriously, do you know a nice name that also starts with an E?" she asked, sounding shy and unsure. I wondered why she wanted the E so much, but like that I wanted something original too.  
"Let me think….Ethan, Enrique, Enzo, Eduardo, Estevan.. there are pretty much possibilities you can choose from." I answered shrugging and placing the plates we'd used in the right cupboards.  
"I think Ethan fits E pretty well…but it's not right yet..." she murmured. I dried my hands on a tea towel and looked at her.

"Who's E?"

Melody's eyes went wide when I asked her about it. I saw her swallow thickly and standing up, making me frown. Why can't you sit down and answer the question?  
"Do you actually want me to tell you that my…pussy hurts from sitting so long while there's a baby relaxing on it? I'm sure you know the feeling…" she said sheepishly, a tad snarky and wincing from the sting I knew very well off.  
Ah, right. Got it. "Anyway , I asked you something and seeing your eyes got so wide I assume you're hiding something – Again." I stayed at the subject she was trying to change in any way possible as I was leaning casually against the kitchen counter.

Melody averted her eyes, looking down when she spoke," I've dreamt about a little boy who looks exactly like the baby's father….In my dreams he told me to call him E. In one dream Aro took him away from me, and at the time, E was the only one making me survive through the sorrow." She explained, huffing a laugh that showed disbelief, while I was surprised when she mentioned Aro, "Strange that I got so attached to a toddler in my dreams…but thinking about it, it might've been Bumpy in some way..."  
I pondered on that for a minute or two. The dreams weren't strange at all, I'd experienced that too when I was pregnant with Denim. But what did Aro had to do with this so all of the sudden? Why would Melody dream, or rather say have a nightmare, of the vile corpse. He wasn't anything more worthy than that – a corpse.  
"Is that why you want name the baby with the first letter being an E?" I asked, grinning. She nodded in reaction and shrugged, "Weird, I know. But yes, that's why. But I'm not sure yet…maybe I'll change the names…I think I want to know the sex when Adam's making another ultrasound. Then I know what to do with the room and clothes…" she mused, tapping her chin and smiling.  
"Are you sure? Some women want it to be a surprise." I questioned, stepping away from the counter to get my shoes since an idea popped into my head.  
Melody shrugged again, "I'm just so curious. And next to that I'm not calling the baby Elizabella Bumpy Bumpette Ethan It, until it's born." She stated awkwardly. There was still one thing I wanted to know, but I hesitated if I could ask her this again.  
"Who's it's father?" I asked casually, but looking her square in the eyes, those she tried to avoid. My heart squeezed uncomfortably when I saw a look of pure, deep and raw grief in her golden eyes. Something told me, that this had been much more than just some guy she was attracted to and ended up in a one-night stand. If she was this hurt by it, it couldn't be true.  
"I told you I wasn't talking about that." She choked with her jaw clenched tightly. I sighed deeply and held my hands up in surrender, "all right. Fine. But since we're only sitting here and you keep saying it's still very unreal, I think we should go shopping."  
Her eyes widened another time, but not from hiding something – more in astonishment.  
"In my dictionary, you're not quite the shopping type…What did they do to you when I was gone?" she giggled, but seriously asking the question. I rolled my eyes, "I wasn't talking about hours of dresses, jeans, stilettos and lingerie – I was talking about baby clothes and paint."  
Realization dawned on her face, "Oh…but Scar, how can we buy baby clothes and paint if we don't know if it's a boy or girl yet?" she replied, raising one eyebrow.  
"Well, you'll always need white clothes, socks, hats – the basics. And maybe green or yellow is pretty enough for a baby room without knowing what's it going to be yet." I stated simply, retrieving my purse and grey trench coat. Melody left, saying something about putting on something properly since she was still in het pajama's. a few minutes later, she was downstairs again, wearing dark blue skinny's, blown Uggs and a soft looking cream colored jersey. She'd bound her hair in a ponytail, but hadn't straightened the brown locks.  
Her Belly stood proudly out, from underneath her clothes. I wondered why it was this big already – it was huger than mine at that time. I shook off the musings and gave her a coat of mine, since her own didn't fit anymore. we closed up, got into my Mercedes and went into town.  
After having parked the car, I ushered her to the first shop – it wasn't expensive, even though we could afford it. But buying expensive baby clothes for a baby that would only wear it for less than a month or shorter, was a waste of money.  
Melody was walking wide eyed through the store, checking out other women with pregnant bellies, some bigger than hers. I led my sister to the new born section and told her what she needed.  
After an hour and a half, we got all the white basics – onesies with three kinds of sleeves in plain white, two soft hats, socks, and more. As she paid for it, the cashier was looking at her strangely, and seeing the ashamed look on my sister's face, she probably read her mind.  
With two bags, we went to the next store.  
"you know…how are we going to buy real clothes if we don't know the sex yet?" she said, already tugging at different baby dresses in shades of pink and red.  
"You don't have to buy something yet, but this doesn't mean you can't look around."I explained, walking further to the boy's clothes.  
After another half an hour of 'Look at this!', 'this is so cute!', and 'that one is awesome!' we left again since Melody was complaining she was hungry. I just laughed at that when she swatted my arm chuckling.  
We bought a sandwich at some small bistro and went further to the next stop – paint. I convinced Melody, that yellow was a nice color for the nursery and she agreed.  
By the time we were done, it was around three in the afternoon, and Melody was exhausted. We drove home in silence, as I saw her eyes droop once in a while. I remembered how she looked when she did that when she was six – it had made me want a child with Adam.  
Before Adam and I eventually mated, it was on the first night of our honey-moon. He'd made me wait for another three years, but it was worth it. When we got back two weeks later, I started feeling so weird, that I tested it behind his back. When the test had come back positive, I confronted him with it. We argued for a long time, that such a thing wasn't possible, and he didn't believe me. That is, until my belly started to grow massively in such a short time, that he gave in.  
Form the day I'd found out about him, Denim was my life. Of course I loved my husband and the rest of my family, but my child was on the first place. That's what a mother does. And so did Melody by taking care of it without the boy she'd gotten it from. Some girls would go back crying, other's simply didn't care and the most with a sense of motherly feelings would do everything that it'd take to make it healthy, happy and safe.

When we arrived home and I had awaken her up from her nap in the car, I could see she was tense. Maybe she'd had a bad dream, or this shopping trip had indeed made it more real for her than it already was. And it probably hurt her that whoever the father was, wasn't there. And I didn't know why, I wanted to know who it was so badly. It just kept nagging my mind all the time as in saying – who's jumped your sister? I winced. I might be a doctor and being busy with all those questions and circumstances every single day of work, but the idea of someone…jumping my youngest sister was quite disturbing.  
I brought all the things we'd bought into the hospital room in our house – there was place enough and apart from Adam me and now Melody, no one came in there.  
My sisters were happy for her and I was positive Adam and Chris were too, but Melody felt extremely bad about how Nathan had reacted upon it. I'd surely expected it, but not this way – he was so extraordinary happy himself when Layla announced she was expecting a baby of them together. I was mad at him for behaving like that and he'd surely hear about it when he got home. He had to get back eventually I supposed. Layla told me he'd rage for a few days on his own in the woods but he'll miss his wife and daughter to much to actually stay away. Knowing Nathan he'd cool down and at least try to face his mistakes in this.  
When I got back upstairs, to the ground floor, I saw Melody sitting in the grey couch, leaning her head against the side for leverage. I stood there, with closing my mind and deciding what to do. I knew she was tense and mostly when she was, she'd explode en roar out all the things that are bothering her. I knew I shouldn't be taking advantage of that, but if she'd let it loose, she'd feel better.

Having made my choice and accepting I might get cursed and getting a wrath from her, I stepped forward. She sensed and now heard me getting closer and looked up. her eyes were red and blotchy proving that she was crying.  
"What's wrong?" I asked, taking seat next to her and starting to stroke her wavy brown hair. She sniffled and shook her head with an acerb smile, not answering.  
"Melody I know you don't want it, but you can trust me! I won't tell anyone not even Adam! But please tell me who the father of your baby is! You'll feel so much better when that's out!" I pleaded, almost desperately. I saw her swallow and sniffle another time before she sighed heavily and turned her face towards mine.  
"I'll tell you, but please don't judge me for what I've done…I can't have that, it's the biggest reason why I kept it as a secret for so long…" she whispered with a raw edge in her voice from the thick tears that started to slowly descend down her red cheeks again.  
I won't judge you, I thought towards her, seeing her faintly nod.

"Okay…so when I was just in school in Forks and saw him for the first time I was…confused by him. he acted so strange," she said, huffing a laugh, "When we got to talk, I found he was quite enjoyable to be around with while I'd thought otherwise in the beginning. I kept denying it, my feelings towards him, but when I finally realized, I was too late," her voice broke in the end, while she tried to contain a sob, which I heard get stuck in her throat.  
"When I wanted to actually act on those new feelings, someone else already stole his heart. I felt terrible that I had to see how he was in love with her…"  
"Did your friends know him?" I asked very cautiously, knowing that was another raw nerve. I was a bit caught off guard when she laughed hoarsely, "Yeah, they did."  
I took it that her friends and I though especially Edward, her best friend, didn't like him then. I felt bad for her and wished it would have gone differently.

"During summer everything got better. Even though he had this relationship, we got closer as just friends and I was able to suppress my love for him. Everything was just fine until something happened at my birthday…" her voice faltered again and I saw her chest heave up with the pain she must be feeling. I was surprised. I knew she was acting off at her birthday and this probably had been the cause of that.  
"He'd…kissed me….just barely and maybe he hadn't even truly touched my lips. Just at that moment Bella came barging in and we broke apart. That night we celebrated my birthday at the Cullens and you know what happened there…" she frowned and I saw her wince at the reference to the Cullens. She'd told me that the few scars on her shoulder where from falling onto the table with glass bowls. They'd splintered and torn open the skin. The Cullens had felt really bad about it and left because off Dr. Cullen's new job.

"four days had it been. Four days that I hadn't heard a thing from him at all. He wasn't at school, he wasn't home. He was anywhere but where I wanted him to be." She sighed deeply, looking down to her thick belly and starting to stroke gently over the top of it, a small crooked smile tugging at her lips. I assumed she was close to telling me what I wanted to hear.  
"so at one night, after not having eaten for a while, I went out hunting. I'd left a note for Charlie so he'd know where I was. When I was done drinking, I got a phone call and Charlie said that Bella was missing. So I turned on my heel wanting to head home, but my feet dragged me elsewhere, like I was needed there. and then I was at his house. It was dark and looked abandoned. And then suddenly he was there…" her voice faltered as she shook her head. I was still brushing her hair and her shoulder while she told me a story that must be very hard on her.

"He started talking, explaining but I still didn't understood. And then he kissed me truly. I wanted to stop him, but my heart wouldn't let me….we got inside the dark house and well…" she trailed off, her face becoming a thick shade of red, making me chuckle lightly.  
"You can tell me, I'd like to know how you experienced it, though, I don't want any kind of details – that's a tad too much." I assured her. I just wanted to know if she liked it. A girl should, even though it was connected with pain and confusion.  
"Uhm…well…it was euphoric at first. I was still fighting with myself about all it, but at some point I threw all my rational thoughts and thinking out….along with my clothes I guess…" she giggled girlishly, still blushing fiercely and brushing the swollen bump. I chuckled, "Well, that's the easiest way, isn't it?" I joked, making her swat my arm softly and rolling her eyes. Sorry, go on.

"Eh…let's just say that…it was like I said awesome in the beginning, until, you know, the actual stuff took place…that hurt so much…"  
I cringed, disappointed at the fact that she'd been in so much pain. Of course I knew by myself, that losing your virginity isn't great, but in my case, the pain had only lasted a minute or two.  
"It's wasn't just the physical pain, but more mentally. He was leaving me and I knew it. I mean, I told you all it was a one-night stand, but it wasn't just sex…it was much more but not in the way I'd wished it would have. I wished he would've loved me too, just as much as I did in that moment, even though it was so unbearably painful."  
I just nodded, letting her know I understood. What happened then?

"He left that night, and since then I haven't heard a single thing again. I got home, completely numb, like an undead…sorry….and collapsed. The next morning Charlie explained what had happened and luckily Bella was back also."  
"I can recall Dad told me Edward had broken up with Bella. You were both heartbroken then. Bella moved on though, at least, that's what Charlie told on the phone."  
Melody snorted, having a strange expression on her face. "Isn't it funny if I tell you that Bella never really loved him? that she only used him and wanted to be the first girl to get him laid?" she raged cynically.  
"But still – you haven't told me whom it was yet," I pushed, extremely curious and wanting to know it even though I didn't know the guy. He'd hurt my sister in many ways.  
Melody laughed harshly again, bitterly, but I could see the deep caring emotions brimming in her eyes.

"Isn't it even funnier," she sneered," if I tell you that_ I_ was the one who _did_ love him and that _I_ was the first girl that he'd gotten laid with?"

I didn't need any time to think about what she basically told me. to say that I didn't expect this, was a huge understatement.  
"Oh my God was it – "  
"Oh, yeah he was. Edward fucking Cullen, my so-called best friend who left me all on my own, drowning in my own waves of pain and sorrow." She sneered again, tears back in the picture as she got completely hysterical, sobbing loudly and sniffling against the tears.  
I was still caught off guard about it. So it had been Edward Cullen, the handsome gentleman. Her best friend. Now I got it, the story. She wanted him, couldn't have him and when he left, she got what she wished for, before it was brutally taken away from her. His heart.  
She was expecting Edward Cullen's child in over a month.

"You are joking." I exclaimed, still quite shocked and processing it. Melody raised an eyebrow, her tears and hysterics at bay.  
"Joking? I think you should ask my baby if I am. I'll tell that she's far from joking, Scarlett."  
I chuckled warily at that, so did she. It was all so weird, our lives, our situations, everything. But we belonged there, in the middle of all that.  
"I want his baby, you know. I want that she'd healthy, and loved and that she won't have to worry about anything at all. And I'll always love Edward, wherever he might be and whatever he might be doing." She said, whispering and looking me straight in the eye, proving to me that she truly meant it. "Come here, Melly," I said, slinging my arms around her, careful not to prick my elbows into Bumpette. She clearly decided it was going to a girl. We sat there for a while, just hugging and sniffling, until my mind alerted me of something.  
After the incident before summer, when she lay in the hospital in Forks, I'd thought the Cullens were quite suspicious. They were acting strange and Adam seemed to know Dr. Cullen. And if Edward was Bumpette's father, and Melody was obviously expecting an hybrid child….then Edward must be…

"Melody? Is Edward..." human? I asked, thinking the last word and faintly hearing a car driving in our drive way. Melody pushed herself up high again, looking at me intensely before shaking her head almost unseen, and casting her eyes downwards.  
I knew enough.


	41. 40 -- Melody Swan

Scarlett stood up from the couch when we both heard commotion at the front door. she gave me apologetic look while I could still see the shock in her eyes. She indeed didn't judge me for actually making Edward cheat on my half sister. She just didn't expect this. At all.  
I sighed deeply sinking back against the cushions, dragging a thin blanket with me. I felt the constant heaviness that lay on my chest ease up – Scarlett was right, I felt better. I didn't have to lie about this no longer and it made me feel relieved.  
Strange, now, that I told her just about everything – even about that night. I grinned sheepishly thinking about the baby that moved slightly inside my womb. Whatever the sex of my child might be, I was happy with it. I silently hoped it was a boy, but when I got the image of a girl looking like Edward, I was sold.  
When the front door opened, I heard three voices, arguing loudly. I heard Scarlett being angry about something and telling whomever she was bitching at that his behavior was unacceptable. I also heard Layla, probably just back from her work, telling Scarlett to relax and that everything would be solved and just fine. When I focused on the third voice, my eyes widened as my breathing stocked.  
"There you are." The low, relief filled voice rang through the living room. I didn't dare to turn around and face him, afraid of how he might react.  
"Now! go apologize to her! And don't freak!" Layla whisper-yelled to him, even though she knew I could easily hear it. his footsteps echoed over the laminate and I waited anxiously.  
When I saw his torn jeans and dirty sneakers in front of me, I looked up.  
"Melody," he said, with a tense voice and eyes shooting straight to my belly, even though that was hidden beneath the blanket.  
"Nathan," I replied, not sure what to do or say. I wanted to smack the hell out of him and curse off his full skin. I also wanted desperately that he'd accept this – he needed to live with this for forever.  
"I…I wanted to apologize. And I truly am sorry – if you don't believe me, I wouldn't have come back earlier if I was lying about this. It's just that I freaked out, like I always do if anything bad concerns you. Guys for example, I mean that's horrible and – "  
He was interrupted by two scraping throats. _'Really? Men can be so stupid sometimes…'_  
"Oh right, sorry. What I'm saying is – I'm really sorry for behaving this way and I'll try to accept it. And thinking about it more, I concluded you deserve this just as much as I did three years ago." He finished at the exact moment I looked him in the eye. I saw he meant it. I saw the guilt and fight in his eyes. A small smile crept in my lips in an attempt to let him know I was okay with his apology.  
"Okay so eh…how's it going? With your..baby I mean?" he stumbled over the words making me chuckle lowly.  
"We're fine I guess. No weird things, only the usual. He grew a lot." I replied, feeling nervous again for what was about to happen – I had to pee, like every pregnant woman needs too, to many times, and with standing up my hysterical brother would see exactly how much the baby had grown. I cleared my throat uncomfortably, "I uh…need to use the bathroom. Can you move?"  
Nathan's eyebrows shot up and he stepped aside. I threw the blanket away from me to the other end of the couch and worked myself upright. The soft curse didn't escape me.  
"Holy fucking hell!"  
I faced my brother, who was looking wide eyed to my belly. When he left there hadn't been one, not big enough for him to see. And now he was back and I looked like a six months pregnant woman.  
He kept staring and at one point I laid my hands upon it, as if I was shielding Bumps from his gaze.  
"Can I…touch it?" he suddenly asked, catching me off guard. In the corner of my eyes I saw my sisters smile smugly.  
"Sure."  
Nathan came to stand in front of me and cautiously let his fingers graze the sweater clad skin, before his full hands enclosed the sides. I studied him closely as his mind explained how he felt. It was weird for him, that his sister, whom he'd carried around as a child himself, was now carrying a baby inside her. He was amazed by it though, which didn't surprise me – Nathan loved kids and babies.  
"Nate, this is really nice and all, and your hands are warm, but I really, really need to pee now!" I squeaked, pushing my legs together in order to not lose it before having reached the bathroom. They all laughed as he let go of my belly and I waddled to the ground floor bathroom.

The following days, everything seemed to work out just fine. Apart from the pregnancy pains, morning sickness and the other usual stuff, I even felt nice. Skye had pleaded with me if she could make pictures of my growing belly. I'd struggled against it, but eventually gave in – I wanted some reminder of how Bumps was when it was still in me. So here I stood, only wearing a pair of my favorite rainbow boyshorts and a white strapless bra. Layla had a day off, even as my cousins and helped Skye with applying makeup and doing my hair. Luckily they kept it natural without anything rash or weird – just me, my golden eyes, my brown curls and my baby of course.

"all right, so Melody, turn for a three quarter to me, and then wrap your arms around your breasts," I did as she asked, turning the way she wanted, wrapping my arms around myself and leaving on leg behind the other for something extra. "Yeah, that's it! These photos are going to be so cute!" she enthused. I giggled, "Duh, me and my baby are cute."

My sisters chuckled saying something like that I was right and we went on with shooting. At some point they dressed me into a maxi chiffon dress that flowed down and crumpled around my ankles since it was too long. It had to admit I had fun with them, even though I was hungry for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.  
After the last picture, They both helped me to get into my normal clothes before we headed back downstairs to eat something for lunch. Layla made pancakes and only the smell made me moan loudly. Skye arched an eyebrow in amusement. _'I hope you didn't moan so hard that night when…'_ she thought, not finishing it because I hit her head, shutting her up. She laughed though, shaking her head. Layla turned around, asking what she missed.

"Nothing," I quipped.  
They didn't elaborate further on it and let me feast on the pancakes. The moaning and eating was embarrassing but I could help but crave for it. poor thing was, is because Skye reminded me of that night and connected it with moaning, I was struck with the image of Edward doing exactly that. Above me. and so gorgeously naked...

"Melody! Quit it! This is way too much information!" Layla shrieked while Skye was stuck in a giggle-fit, doubling over the table. I blushed a deeper shade than crimson – I'd said that out loud. Thank god I didn't mention his name.  
"Sorry!" I squeaked, sticking another fork full of pancakes in my mouth and chewing it. they kept giggling and laughing about it.  
"Damn. Looks like someone needs her chocogasm cake for much other reasons!" Layla suddenly exclaimed making Skye go crazy, crying form laughter. They were making fun of me and they fucking knew it.  
"Ha ha, funny guys! Now, I'm done eating, so I'm going to watch a movie or something like that." I said mockingly as they kept giggling. I knew it was their way for lightening me up and forgetting about Edward , without them knowing he was the one to forget. It still stung in my chest though, thinking and hearing about him. But I was positive Bumpy took a half of the pain away, like she was a half of Edward. She'd never replace him in a million years, but she could be a perfect way to give my heart a new destiny.

I waddled into the living room, finding myself stupid since I cursed with penguins so much before – now I was walking around like one.  
"Hey Melody! Do want to join us? We're watching Batman!" Denim roared enthusiastically when I entered. I crooked a smile.  
"Sure! Make room on the couch, guys, I'm in!" I said smiling and forgetting the worry I had fewer seconds before. Faith and Alana shoved aside a bit so I could fit in easily. We settled comfortably as Denim started the movie.  
After two hours of an awesome action movie, popcorn and soda, the movie credits rolled down on the screen with the soundtrack on the background. We all stretched out form sitting so long and I sighed.  
I saw Alana look at me intently, creasing her brows, "Does it feel…strange? I can imagine it does." She said, making the other two study me also. I smiled sheepishly.  
"Yeah, it does. But it's not uncomfortable. It's nice actually." I explained shrugging. They all thought about that for a moment when Faith commented that she wanted it to be a girl so she could dress her up and do her hair when she was older. I grinned at that, glad they liked this also – they hadn't spoken much about it since they all found out about Bumps.  
"I think it's nice. I hope I get a nephew, then I can play baseball with him!" Denim piped up, all smug with his answer. I chuckled.  
"Well, no matter which gender – it'll be happy, no matter the costs. Right Melody?" Skye said from behind me, making me turn around. I smile dup at her and nodded.  
"Yes, no matter what it would take."

I was almost there. It was the first of February and I was almost at the end of my second month pregnancy with a huge belly and a strong kicking baby inside. She was getting visibly stronger – a few bruises were forming at places she kicked form inside. It started to hurt more too, as she started to turn and actually move around in my womb. Adam made an ultrasound twice a week to check upon her health. My body had started to weaken a lot too, in comparison to the first weeks – my arms, legs and just about everything that wasn't my belly got thinner. Adam explained that was quite normal, but not this early. He suspected that she might be enormously strong then. So that's why I was on my way to his medical office in our house for a new ultrasound. I'd been thinking about if I wanted to know its gender or not – Scar said a surprise would be so nice, but I was way too curious and I wanted to pick the right names. I'd been thinking it must be a girl. Of course E still had a place in my heart, but maybe that's where he should stay. Aside from that, E was just Edward in a toddler version – E wasn't the baby that grew inside me.  
I knocked on the white door and almost immediately heard the 'come in, Melody'. I opened it and stepped inside, seeing my oldest brother in law rolling away from his desk and starting to set everything ready – this all at vampire speed of course. Scarlett came trailing in behind me, being a gynecologist she wanted to know about my progresses.  
"all right, you know what to do," Adam said, smiling and rolling up the sleeves of his button down shirt. Scarlett had grabbed a report where she held all the copies of the ultrasound, remaining information and my vital standards. I did as I had to – I sat down on the stretcher, laid down and pulled my shirt over my belly up high, stopping under my breasts. I also pushed my treggings until under my belly, so the ball was on full display. Adam squirted the blue gel on my skin and sat down on a stool beside me.  
"All right – at this point I should be able to see the baby completely now. the question is, if you want to know what the gender is." He asked. I nodded, understanding what he meant and answering his question, "Yes, I want to know."  
He nodded with a kind smile and pushed the device down on my skin, starting to spread the gel. I looked at the screen, feeling the baby kick again an flinching. Adam looked at the screen also, frowning. 'Hmmm…this is strange…'  
His thought alarmed me, "What's wrong?" I asked panicked, getting Scarlett's full attention as well. Adam quickly calmed us, "No, no nothing's wrong. it's just that it's difficult to see through the amnion – it's pretty thick. Thicker than with your sister's pregnancies. It's so outstanding that everything with you seems to be…doubled." He explained still rolling the device and looking at the screen frowning in concentration. I didn't understand what he was getting at, thinking about it. suddenly he smiled brightly, "Ah! Got it!"  
My eyes shot to from him to the screen and back, "What? What did you get?"  
Adam smiled at me and instructed," I know the gender – look over there….you can see its legs. Now look very closely and what do you see?" I followed as he said, feeling Scarlett's presence behind me to watch it also. I concentrated on the legs, searching for something that apparently had to be there. I frowned deeply "I only see a bubble there just above the legs, but that's from the amniotic fluid right?"  
Adam and Scar both smiled at each other, shaking their heads.  
"Looks like Denim is getting what he wished for." Adam announced.  
"Well, Melody I think you should start to study on the rules of different sports! You're going to be enormously busy with the dirty clothes, shoes and baseball caps!" Scarlett sang happily. I was still thinking hard, until realization struck me making me gasp as my eyes started to water up.  
"It's a boy? I'm getting a son? Really?" I squeaked, choking on my breath as I felt a warm feeling enclose my heart. Scarlett wasn't able to hold her tears either as she cried, smiling widely, while Adam nodded," Yes, sweetie, it's a boy."  
I squealed in an all to girlish manner, clapping my hands and giggling. I was already thinking of the best way to dress him and various names rang through my head. Adam printed the photo of the ultrasound before getting to the next step. Scarlett cleaned the gel from my belly while I was still basking in a glow of utter happiness. My baby boy – my very own little Edward.  
"Looks like it was Bumpy after all!" Scarlett beamed, throwing the paper towel she'd used away.  
Adam started to strap a thick elastic band around the thickest part of my belly, where my son lay. He pushed the buttons of the small device in the middle, put in his stethoscope and started to listen to his heart. I sure heard a bit of it since my hearing was stronger than that of a human. Adam listened intently and started to frown again.  
'….it goes really fast….could it be?...no not possible….her heartbeat?...unlikely…'  
"Adam?" Scarlett asked when he pulled the stethoscope form my belly. I was awfully confused again. Adam didn't reply and pushed another button on the device, making the sound of a heartbeat flow loudly through the space. I listened to the strong beat, the strength in it. no wonder he was so strong! But it was indeed enormously fast, like Adam already thought. There was something strange about the sound though that confused me.  
Is that second heartbeat my own?" I questioned upon hearing the obvious second beat. It went about a second after the other the whole time. Adam looked at me, staring into my eyes intently.  
"This…I never thought this was possible….and I only see one on the ultrasound but….Melody there are obviously two heartbeats and the second is even more obviously not yours." He explained. Scarlett gasped loudly, "That's impossible…"  
"No, it doesn't have to be – that you and your sister only got one child, doesn't mean it's entirely impossible."  
"Of course! It all makes so much sense! Her belly is much thicker, she graves more food, the amnion is thicker….like you said – everything is doubled."  
I followed their medical conversation speechless. Were they actually saying that….  
"I'm getting a twin?"

I felt so strange, yet exactly like I should be. After Adam and Scarlett told me for the tenth time I was getting a twin, I realized. And man, did that hit me like wrecking ball.  
It's not that I didn't want it, more that I didn't expect it – nobody did. But I was scared, started to panic again all because I such a less time to get used to having to raise two babies instead of one. I had to think of two names, two personalities, all pairs of clothes doubled, needs that were doubled.  
Everything seemed doubled now…

When we'd exited the medical room I was beginning to feel the tingles of happiness and love. My heart seemed to have grown just a tad more to make room for my other child. Scarlett gushed the whole time about it being so extraordinary and exciting and I gushed with her, even though I was very tired. Adam was smiling constantly while preparing dinner for that night, listening to our hyperactive chatting. When my siblings dripped inside pair by pair, and we sat down together for dinner, I couldn't help the beaming smile that had planted itself on my face. Nathan gave me a weird look, thinking it might be the pregnancy vitamins that made me high, but that wasn't the case.  
When Scarlett had tapped my knee, along with an obvious look, I cleared my throat, feeling the hot blush creep into my cheeks. They all watched me, looked at me and waited for what I was about to say.  
And when I said I was getting a twin, it was awfully silent. Their minds reeled, trying to process it and thinking, just like Scarlett and Adam that it was impossible. And then just suddenly, Nathan stood up, making me afraid he'd walk away again. But he didn't.  
He came to stand behind my chair and draped his strong arms around me, kissing my cheek. Congratulations, he'd said. From that moment my sisters began cheering, squealing and yelling about how fantastic this news was. Layla commented that we should go shopping for clothes, where Skye answered that we didn't know the gender.  
I told them one of the two was a boy, and they squealed my ears off again.

The next day, we went out shopping, while my brothers painted the nursery room which was next to mine. We always had a spare room left for me, even though I'd always said we'd never need it. I bought more whities to have enough in stock before we got to the shops with the actual clothes. My sisters overwhelmed me with lots of jeans, shirts, baseball caps, shoes, underwear and even socks. I was believing I might have enough to dress him for another five years if he was staying a baby.  
When we got home from our long, but totally worthy trip, I passed out on the couch, falling asleep the minute my head touched the pillow.

Another few days later, while I was thinking about the right names again, Adam stood next to me suddenly. I looked up curiously, since he closed his mind from me.  
"You really need blood." He stated, his eyebrows shot up high on his forehead. I frowned, looking down.  
"It's just a precaution – it doesn't mean you're this weak that it might get dangerous, but the twin is using your body to grow. That's normal actually, but some blood will make you feel stronger and get your limbs back to their normal size." He explained before I could ask about it. I nodded, feeling a bit uneasy – drinking from an animal had fresh blood and could only be taken from the source. I was afraid Adam might make me drink human blood. And I was against that, even though people had given it willingly.  
"Adam, what kind?"  
"Don't worry Melly, I know you're appalled to the blood of humans, so I tapped some blood by a few mountain lions just like I do with humans at the hospital." He explained, smiling. I thought about it for a second but agreed – my body would feel so much better and I wouldn't have too much difficulties during delivering the babies. I nodded at my brother-in-law and he turned around for the fridge. I felt a rush of anticipation course through my veins – it had been a while ago that I'd had blood for the last time.

Adam was busy warming up the liquid, making the smell come in my nose. I needed to keep myself on the couch and not to get wild and run up to him and tear the blood away from him. when he came back, my breathing had fastened, as I felt sweaty. I wanted it. oh so very bad that it surprised me. Adam was holding a white cup with a white straw and in it, was the blood. And mountain lions were my absolute favorite….  
I became dizzy from the desire to drink it and I shot out my hand to retrieve it from his. He handed me the cup, completely in control while the warm blood was under his nose, as I greedily set the straw against my lips and sucked violently. The second I felt the first droplet hit my tongue I succumbed into it. It was so fucking delicious…  
I was moaning, animalistic and growling. A true predator. But I didn't care about that. Adam would knew how I was feeling to not having drunk anything for a long time. when I was finished I let my head sink back against the backrest of the couch letting out a deep sigh of contentment. Adam smiled, _'Looks like you needed that. You seem less pale and I can hear your heartbeat getting stronger. I'll give you more tomorrow.' _  
Sometimes Adam and I had our own silent conversations. He once told me that silence makes him feel relaxed.

From that day on, I got to drink a cup of blood on a daily base, while my belly grew and my body wouldn't get to far behind.  
And now I only had to deliver them and think of the right names. Now I was getting two, I wanted names that fit with each other, just like they would.


	42. 41 -- Charlie Swan

I was sick of this. Last year, when both my daughters called to say they wanted to live here with me in Forks, I'd been in an euphoric state. I'd been thinking to get the opportunity to make up for lost time.  
And now I eventually ended up alone after all, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.  
Bella was at La Push almost daily. After school, Jacob would picked her up and they'd go to Billy's place to whatever teenagers do. I honestly didn't want to know any details – I would be happy with the lie they'd tell me.  
And then, Melody was gone again for over a month now. in some way I understood – everything got wrong lately, she was having bad luck from every corner.  
When I'd found her letter when Bella and I got back from Jake and Billy that night, I went completely lunatic. I'd asked Bella if she knew anything but she swore she didn't.

I knew my youngest had been acting strange, but I surely did not expect this – she'd been vile against moving away from Forks when I ushered her to.  
I did as she asked in her letter, not calling, until I couldn't take it any longer. I was awfully worried and Bella was getting on my nerves all the time. it made me crazy not to know where Melody was at all. She could be in high danger or even worse. On New Year's Eve I was thinking, trying to guess where she went. I thought of the farthest places, until I realized she probably wanted me to think that – she must be in LA after all. So I called.  
I was relieved when I heard her voice, telling me she was fine. It saddened me though that she wasn't going to be back any time soon.  
Another few weeks had passed and they still hadn't called or said anything to me.  
And now, the old man was pissed.

An hour later, after having cleaned up everything from breakfast, I set down my navy blue suitcase on the kitchen floor. Bella was sitting on a stool, chatting with one of her friends. When she saw me entering with the suitcase her eyebrows shot up high. I waited for her to finish her phone while I searched for the right documents is needed to take with me.  
"Uh…dad, where are you going?" she asked form behind me as I finally got my passport in my hands. I turned around to face her.  
"Listen Bells, you're nineteen now, and I'm sure you can take care of yourself for a while don't you?" I said ignoring her question and throwing on my jacket. Bella gave me a look of confusion along with astonishment.  
"yeah but why are you leaving so all of the sudden?" she asked again. I sighed, picking up the suitcase and giving her a hug and a kiss on her cheek.  
"To your sister. I'll be back as soon as I can – I'll call you when I'm there!"

So another few hours later, the cab I'd taken drove me into Crescent Road, from where I could see the large house immediately. The weather was something I had to get used too – it was much warmer even though it was only February. When the cab driver stopped in front of the building I paid him, and got out. It was twilight now, the sun casting down slowly behind the deep blue waters of the sea, creating a beautiful sight. I sighed, seeing the lights on in the house – they were home.  
I walked up to the door, dragging my heavy suitcase with me and having texted Bella that I'd arrived. I was positive she'd be fine and just to be sure I'd asked Billy to keep an eye on her.  
I rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open it, but after more than ten seconds I was still standing in front of a closed door. normally, seeing they're all faster than light, the door would've been open after merely a second.  
I rang again, and this time it was swept open immediately. I was met with my son-in-law who stood there with wide eyes.  
"Shit!" he exclaimed, making me raise my brows. "Excuse me?" I questioned, surprised by his reactions. This triggered something in my mind – they were most definitely hiding something.  
"Uh…sorry Chief. We didn't expect you." Chris said, seeming uncomfortable and obviously avoiding eye contact. There are big secrets here and I hate it when my children keep those from me. Chris was still standing in the doorway, blocking the sight and acting strangely.  
"So? Are you letting me stand here or can I come in?" I asked, irritated by his behavior. His eyes flickered with worry and I contained a smug smile. I got them.  
"Well….eh…Charlie maybe we should head out for a drink?" Chris replied, still uncomfortable. I huffed, "No. We can drink in the kitchen. Don't say we can't – you guys don't only drink blood. Now get away from the door and let me in." I said frustratingly and pushing him aside. He let me push him since I wouldn't have done it on my own – they were way to strong for that.  
Inside the hall I took of my jacket and set the suitcase under the peg, seeing Chris walk inside the kitchen quickly. I heard the hushed voices of one of my daughters, heavily arguing about something.  
I stepped into the kitchen, letting my eyes fall on the amount of food standing there on the table. There was plate with a great amount of pasta carbonara on it, along with bread with garlic butter and small pieces of cheese. Next to the plate was a white carton cup with a white straw.  
Before I could guess who must be enormously hungry, Skye and Layla got my attention.

"Dad!"Skye said, sounding delighted, "Uhm…we didn't expect you here. What's with the sudden visit?"  
I frowned, crossing my arms and huffing again, "Well perhaps I'm here so suddenly because no one thinks about telling me something. And seeing the way you're all acting, you're hiding something and I intend to find that out. I've had enough of the secrets, Skye! I'm your father and I don't care about all the so-said dangers that might be caused by me knowing about everything of your beings – I have the right to know. And some respect might be in order, also!" I barked, angry with them. Skye and Layla cringed at my words and I knew I'd hit a nerve.  
"Where are the others?" I demanded, more than asking. Layla and Skye looked at each other before my daughter spoke up.  
"Adam and Scarlett have the night shift today so they're at the hospital now. Nathan I at the gym with the children for kickboxing and…" she explained, trailing of at the end. I saw her swallow and give her husband and sister-in-law a significant look.  
"…Melody is in the living room taking a nap." She winced. I nodded and turned around for the door to the living room when the three vampires were in front of me, blocking my way.  
"Dad, you can't go n there! she's asleep!" Skye tried but I laughed at her.  
"So what? who said I was going to wake her? I only want to know if she's alright!" I argued. Still blocking my way Skye said that they could also tell me that she was fine.  
"Dad come on back to the kitchen and let's get you something to eat – you must be starving." Skye tried to get me away from the door, tugging at my arm. I sighed and let her bring me to the table where Layla placed a plate with the same pasta that was laying on the other plate in front of me. I began eating form the delicious Italian food, trying to think of another way to get to my youngest daughter when I heard Melody talking to  
Christopher.

"…can't go there! just stay here in the living room I'll bring your food and – "  
"I can decide that for myself! Come on! Why can't I eat in the damn – " the door swung open, revealing Chris and Melody, who's face changed from one from irritation to one of extreme horror. "Kitchen." She squeaked.  
I studied her face, trying to find the cause of her scared look. I stood up, wanting to envelop her in my arms, when I froze.

My eyes almost bulged out of their cases upon seeing my daughter with a belly as huge as a whole planet.  
"That's why you couldn't eat in the kitchen…" I heard Chris exclaim hopelessly, while my mind started reeling.  
This couldn't be! It was impossible! Not my little Melody…damn it, it's way too obvious! I clenched my fists and jaw together in focus. I was so angry about all this. Looking at Melody I saw she was crying and I felt my last bit of hope slip through my fingers.

"Please, tell me that it's NOT what I THINK it IS!" I roared, expecting the answer I'd never wanted to hear in my whole life.

Skye POV

I watched quite in panic as my father yelled at my pregnant sister. We were all so royally fucked….  
"I demand, and you all hear me – DEMAND you to tell me what is happening here!" Charlie roared, facing all of us with an expression that showed hurt, fury and panic. It was pretty logic he felt that way – not having seen your fifteen year old daughter for over a month and now seeing her with a belly this huge that it obviously houses a baby. Two in this case.  
I looked at my husband, whispering at a far too low pitch for Charlie to hear, that he should take Melody with him to the living room to let her calm down somewhat. She was in hysterics and all this could cause the twin to be born to early or even worse – a miscarriage.  
Chris nodded, telling Charlie that Layla and I would explain. He took a very distressed Melody out of the kitchen, drying her tears as they left.  
"What is going on here! I – "  
"Dad if you want an explanation I rather ask you to be quiet and listen!" I barked, interrupting him. I knew he did not tolerate such behavior towards him, but I couldn't help it. He was freaking out, jumping to conclusions way to fast and obviously getting dramatic about everything.  
And then we're still wondering where Melody and Nathan get it from.

Charlie's face turned red in anger and I asked him to sit down giving him the choice. If he refused he could do that. After a minute or so he sat down, still red with fury. Layla leaned against the kitchen counter as I stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring sternly and stressed at my father. I chanced a glance at Layla who was staring at Charlie intently and letting out a sigh. I wanted to tell her – yeah,…I know. This shit is going to be awful.  
And at times like these, I wish I could read minds too.

"Look dad, I understand it's weird on you to come in like this and see…what you saw. Lay and I will explain as much as we can." I started, not exactly knowing where to start. If Scarlett would've been here she'd know what to do. She was the oldest, most reasonable and better in convincing Charlie than us others. I saw Charlie nod curtly, still staring straight ahead. I looked sideways for help. Lay nodded at me reassuringly and started to explain.  
"The night Melody left you, she got here very early in the morning. Chris saw her at first and was flabbergasted that she was here – we all were. We didn't understand because when you called us, she refused to leave Forks. When Scar and Adam asked her what was wrong, she shook it off and ignored it. At some point Scarlett got her to talking and she suddenly said she stopped hugging people all of the sudden."  
A flash of intuition brightened my mind – no wonder she didn't hug. it risked we'd feel her belly. I hid a smirk – Melody was a definite smart-ass.  
"When you called on New Year's Eve, everything was very,…tense," I took over the story form my sister in law, thinking back to a few weeks earlier," We thought it was just because Melody still felt enormously bad because her friends left her." Charlie made a huffing sound when I mentioned that. I took it he wasn't very fond of the Cullens anymore.  
"At some point, Melody told us something we'd never thought would be happening in like, ever. Nathan went lunatic and left for more than week."  
Layla cleared her throat as in saying, you haven't exactly told it yet. " apparently, that afternoon, Melody had been opening up to Scarlett and they'd been fighting." We saw Charlie's eyes widen at that. Scarlett wasn't a violent person at all but when she was angry, you needed to get away as soon as vampirily possible.

"No! Dad they didn't actually fight – they were more like arguing heavily about..something." I quickly explained before he'd burst out in another temper tantrum – also something we all inherited form him.  
"Okay so, Charlie have you ever noticed that Melody was..fancying someone?" Layla tried cautiously. I swallowed, waiting for his reaction when he seemed confused. He didn't know!  
"No...did she?" he asked in a rough voice. Layla nodded heavily and I explained him further.  
"She'd told Scarlett someone else had taken him away from her before she could act on her feelings. They stayed friends for a long while. At one night they…eh…you know the..mating process kind off…took place," I stuttered uncomfortably, blushing without actually doing it. My vampiric skin wouldn't let me be human like that.

"Charlie I know you don't want to hear this but we'll just drop the bomb without any difficulties around it – Melody and that boy had sex that night and she got knocked up."Layla just said nonchalantly, but staring her father-in-law straight in the eye. I saw my dad swallow thickly as horror filled his eyes. I felt sorry for him at the moment.

"Since our kind is more vampire than human, the child grows very fast. She explained that when she found out at Christmas, she left soon after. Her belly was starting to show and seeing it grows so fast, like I said, it's risky to be around humans and the citizen of Forks. We can't be in the spotlight too much." I told him further, watching his every move. instead of being red-faced, his skin was just a white as ours.

"When is she due?" he spoke, still rough and completely in misery.  
"The end of the month." I whispered as I saw him cringe before he dropped his head in his hands.

We let Charlie on his own to think for an hour, while we stayed in the kitchen to be sure that he would go mad and barge into the living room. I knew Melody could all hear this, and it must hurt her, especially to hear how our old father's mind was raging.  
Layla and I started to do the dishes when Chris had brought Melody's empty plate inside, looking curiously at Charlie.  
_"Do you think he can..handle it?"_ Layla was talking to me at a vampire pitch, which Charlie wouldn't hear. I shrugged, frowning and looking at her then. Her brows were hunched up too. _"I don't know…he has to if he wants to stay in Melody's life. She'll do anything and everything for the twin to be safe and happy. She won't let anything intrude her safety bubble…" _  
Layla sighed heavily as I glanced at the clock. My brother, daughter and cousins would arrive within an hour and I certainly didn't want Alana to walk into this. She'd been enormously quiet and confused since we all found out Melody was pregnant. I tried to ask her what was wrong but she did not answer me. At one point she started asking me questions about it and how it was possible. I was scared to tell my little girl from only an age of eleven and technically two years old, how the whole process around 'propagation' worked. I was somehow relieved to know that Faith, nor Alana and even not Denim would end up getting involved in an romantic relationship with someone – they didn't age anymore since last autumn and were too young for such things.  
I'd explained Alana how I all went, though, keeping it as clean as I could. I had to giggle when she got this expression of disgust and I was glad she hated it as much as every eleven year old. When I told Chris he got a little out of his mind but I silenced him by saying it was normal she'd question it. Having spoken with Layla and Scarlett, I found out that Faith and Denim already knew.  
Luckily my girl started to behave just as she always did after that, now she understood. She was actually anxious to meet the twin, of which one was a boy.

A deep sigh interrupted my musings, while I kept staring ahead of me, drying the plate Layla gave me.  
"Can I…I have to…" Charlie was stumbling over the words, choking them. I gave one last knowing glance at Layla, who nodded, before turning around to face my father.  
He dropped his hands and looked at me, while I saw he'd been crying. I wondered, anxiously why. Was he so angry? Or so sad about this?  
"I need to talk to her.."  
I nodded, walking up to him and taking his hand, smiling apologetically at him. he took it and followed me out of the kitchen into the living room, where Chris and Melody sat. Chris was seated in a chair, having straight sight to the kitchen door, while Melody was curled up on the couch, sobbing. The fire in my husband's eyes didn't go unnoticed by me. I gave him a warning look, as if saying 'she'll be fine'. He nodded at me before casting his eyes at Charlie who was standing in front of Melody now.  
She didn't look up, even though she must've noticed him. a silent minute or two passed, and also Layla had entered the living room silently.

"Melody?" Charlie croaked, but not getting any reaction from her. Silence again.  
When I heard Charlie's knuckled crack I tensed.

"DAMN IT! Melodiana Helena Marie Swan! I'm trying to talk to you!" he yelled out of nothing. Christopher started to make a move to get to protect Melody but I was a step above him,  
"Chris don't!" I sneered sternly, making him back down. when Melody still refused to talk, Charlie got enormously frustrated with her.  
"Oh come on! Do you think that you can just ignore your FATHER because this happens to you? Do I even EXIST in your eyes, Melodiana!?" he raged further as we all saw Melody wince heavily. But I knew better.  
Charlie raged further, throwing words of guilt and anger towards until she'd had enough of it. And let that be the exact minute that the kids and Nathan come into the living room.  
I barely a second, the very pregnant petite Melody, gets up from the couch.

"STOP IT! this is not FAIR!" she yelled back at Charlie who was slightly taken aback by her fierceness. Nathan stopped wide-eyed and asking what was going on. this all didn't stop the little lioness though.  
"Do you honestly think, dad that I'm doing this NAG you!? That I was thinking 'let's get to Charlie by getting KNOCKED UP!' because it is al so fun to do so!?" she fired, angry tears streaming down her cheeks.  
"I only want that my babies are safe! And if you decide to be against that then that's your choice. But don't expect me to follow that." She choked further while dad stood silently in front of her, in pain of what she was saying.  
"I didn't choose for this, daddy! It happened. And it was risky but never, NEVER say that this was a MISTAKE! My children are not by any means a mistake! I love them daddy,…" she wailed, completely hysteric in tears. When Charlie didn't immediately reply, she turned around, avoiding any contact with him. Charlie's hand cautiously touched her shoulder, making her turn back towards him again.  
"Melody…please understand that this is not what I expected to finds here. At all. Please know that it's difficult for me to take this all in! And just as you love your…babies, I love you! You need to know that I'd stay with you no matter what happens!" he said, tilting his head to at all of us gathered in the room," I'd stay with all of you, even if you'd lose control and drink the blood of humans or kill and innocent in order to save yourself. I'd stay. I might be a chief, but my children are always on the first place." he said with a very authorized voice. I felt a chill course over my skin at his words. Charlie wasn't someone to speak about his emotions and this was how he truly felt. How brave he was to live between all those myths and danger.  
"I want to apologize to you of how I acted. I'll try to accept this. And it's not that I hate it – I'm going to be a grandfather again, but you are so young, Little Swan. You're my little girl. And yet you've grown into a woman so fast. It's difficult for me to stay by all the time." he said, smiling crookedly, as his mustache lifted up high.  
"Thank you, daddy" my sister exclaimed before wrapping her arms around our father's waist, carefully not to squish the twin in her belly. Charlie enveloped her into his arms too, caressing the dark curls on her head.  
"And I'll always be your little girl…Just like you'll always be my old dad."  
I couldn't help but tear up at her words. We, all of us went to them as they hugged, laying our arms around each other, creating a warm blanket of immense love.  
Because we were family and we loved each other dearly.  
No matter the bounds that were set, the costs that had to be paid, the choices that needed to be made or the things that happened.

This would last forever.


	43. 42 -- Various POVs

Just like every day, for almost two months in a row, I sat on the side of my bed, waiting. For what? I had no clue. Everyone had been restless and quite zombielike since we left. Even Carlisle didn't feel like working anymore. I sighed deeply. Within a second my restless peace would be disturbed. I was right off course.  
"Hey, are you going out hunting with us? you look pale." Kate joked, standing at the door. a small smile tugged at my lips at the ironical joke – we always looked pale no matter what we'd do.  
"I'm sorry – I don't feel like going now. Maybe tomorrow." I answered, trying to not hurt her feelings. I saw her nod via the corner of my eye and close the door.  
The Denali's did what they could, trying to cheer us up. I was grateful for their trying but did not want it.  
I missed her. Maybe a tad too much. Sure, I had Jasper, my husband but Melody was my best friend. We'd promised to stay best friends forever, literally, but my selfish brother had to tear that apart. And why, I still didn't get – he was being unreasonable, saying that it was for their safety and such. We all knew we were dangerous, but since the attack with James, Laurent and Victoria, Bella and Melody actually needed us for their safety.  
And I knew Melody might be able to fight them, but I did not know how much she was capable off. I questioned Carlisle once, secretly when the others had left to hunt on a late night. He unwillingly admitted he knew what she was, but he wouldn't tell me. it pissed me off to be honest, but Carlisle only respected my best friend's wish.  
My best friend of whom I had no clue how she was, where she was and if she was even alive still. The last thought made me terribly uneasy, even for a vampire.  
I was done of sitting for so long and left the bedroom, going downstairs at my natural speed. I saw Esmé, trying to arrange a bouquet of flowers – freesia's and red roses. When she noticed me, she smiled sadly.  
"Hey mom…" I said, sounding miserable from every angle. Esmé winces at me calling her mom. It made her think of Melody and Bella, whom she saw as her daughters, as part of the family. The separation had destroyed us all. Gone were my enthusiastic mannerisms about fashion, Rose's passion for cars, Emmett's way too funny jokes. Thrown away was Carlisle's desire to heal people, Esmé's love for cooking and Jasper's way of comforting other's.  
And then Edward?

Edward was an asshole. Nothing. And even though he acted like he did not care, it was horrifying to be around him. _If_he was here, which had only been twice.  
When he left us quickly after we were settled in here, he stayed away for more than a month. With could not reach him or guess where he was. We'd could only try that perhaps he was as far away from us, Bella and Melody as possible. He was drowning in his own misery.  
"I miss him so much…" I looked up from the counter where I was casually leaning against, seeing Esmé's distressed expression.  
"I know. But I miss Melody more." I replied, maybe more harsh than I'd intended.  
"You don't like Bella do you?" she questioned, frowning. I shrugged.  
"It's that I especially don't like her, but more how she reacts. Sometimes I wondered if she was even in love with Edward and if his fight for her was even worth it." I stated, thinking back at how she sometimes would act weird, like not wanting to kiss him or push him away. and the next minute she'd be all over him, wanting more than just a chaste kiss.  
"It's Bella's way of reacting to things," Carlisle piped up, standing next to me very suddenly.  
After a while of silence Esmé sighed, "I wonder…if they really went on with their lives. Without us. As if we do not exist at all…" she mused sadly. Carlisle threw his arm around her shoulder, holder sideways to his chest.  
"I don't kn – " I wanted to reply but when an image, so terrifyingly disturbing clouded my mind, my voice hitched in my throat.  
It was Melody. And she screaming very harsh, as if someone tore a knife through her torso. Her head was thrown back, the muscles at her temples strained as tears lay on her cheeks.

It stopped just as fast as it started.

"Alice? What have you seen?" Carlisle stands next to me with wide yes of curiosity. I shake my head.  
"Is there something wrong with the girls?" Esmé's voice is higher and scared as she slaps her hands in front of her mouth.  
"No Esmé," I said, picking up her vase with flowers to do something so she wouldn't see my lies through my eyes, "Nothing bad has happened."  
Jasper came running inside, seeing my alarmed face. He was alert in an instant, knowing I was lying. But I don't see him anymore when images of the Cliffs on La Push beach blur my sight.

Bella, running, jumps down, right of the high cliff. Melody is on her heels, 'Bella NO!' she screams before following her down into the water. The dangerous wild outrageous waters during a storm. Bella loses breath, sinks. Melody struggles.  
And then it stops.  
Everything just stops. Blackness. End. Nothing.

No future.

"Alice!? What's have you seen? What's wrong?!" Jasper yells, standing in front of my frightened face. I was devastated, pained and revolted by myself for the First time in years.  
No future, kept ringing in my head over and over again.  
"Oh my God this is our fault! What have we done!?"

* * *

**Nathan POV**

I was just sitting on the couch, wanting to watch football with Chris, when I heard this strangled mewling sound from the kitchen, followed with a soft curse. I stared at Chris, who shrugged, "pregnant women – they do stuff like that."  
I stood up to get something to drink and to see what made my little sister exclaim such a uncomfortable sound. When I entered the kitchen area, she sat on a stool at the breakfast bar, stomping her head against the table, muttering all kinds of cuss words in Italian and America.  
"Dannazione! Accidenti gravidanza troppo!" she groaned. I couldn't help the chuckle that left my throat, making her look up from the table. I only saw her eyes, framed by the lots of brown curls around it. it was creepy when she did that.  
"What? trouble in paradise?" I teased, pushing myself away from the doorpost and going to the refrigerator. Melody grumbled upon my remark, making me snicker again.  
"Culo." She murmured at a vampire pitch. My lips twitched to suppress a smile. I grabbed the two bottles of beer and stood behind her within a second.  
"Excuse me? could you ripetere?"  
Melody rolled her eyes and huffed, chagrinned with me. "I said asshole."  
"tut tut tut! You can't use such a language. You might never know how much your babies will here of this." I joked, smiling badly at her. She was so much fun to mess with.  
"Right whatever Nathan. Go watch football – you're irritating me."  
I laughed, shaking my head and left her in the kitchen, groaning. It was February the twenty first. And Melody would deliver the twin in less than a week. The twenty-fourth was her due date and since my sisters and wife had delivered on the exact due date, Melody would also. Probably another characteristic of our kind.

It had been difficult for me to accept all this. Melody was my baby sister and I was very protective of her. My wife said it was too much, but I thought she was just saying bullshit – you could never be protective enough of the enormous Queen of Clumsiness Melody.  
"Here's your beer." I handed it to my bro. Chris popped the bottle cap and took a swig. I settled into the couch and watched along with him as we saw our favorite team win the game.

Much later, around six o'clock, I wondered where all the others were. Denim, Faith and Alana had come home by bus this afternoon, but my wife and sisters weren't here. Adam was working the night shift again, saying he would take a few days of before and after Melody's delivery.  
"Where's Melody?" Chris asked, turning off the TV and gathering the empty bags of crisps and chocolate. "Upstairs helping the kids with their homework. Where are the ladies?"  
"They're out for dinner because Skye got a part in some art studio. They're celebrating it in some tapas restaurant. Melody stayed home cause she felt bad." He explained as we went into the kitchen to clean up and start for our won dinner. Just when I wanted to find something to cook, Chris got a better idea.  
"Pizza?"  
I closed the refrigerator doors, "Yeah, definitely."

When the pizza was delivered I called for the children who were in the kitchen mere seconds later. Melody was a different story though. Since the twin had grown enormously the last week, she was afraid of going down the stairs on her own. While Chris made sure everyone got the right pizza, I rushed myself up the stairs to retrieve my highly pregnant sister. she smiled sheepishly at me when I picked her up cautiously, bridal style and carried her down without any effort. She was as light as a feather to me, even with the two babies inside her.  
I set her on a chair and went to grab her something to eat. Pizza wasn't really something you'd call healthy. When we were all set, we ate in a comfortable silence. Sometimes I saw Melody cringe or a wince would scrunch her facial features.  
"..is so stupid! It's just unfair!" Denim's voice made me look up from the remainder of my pizza.  
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have done it…" my daughter, Faith remarked wisely. I still didn't get what they were discussing.  
"Yeah, Den, you can only pull off shit like that when I'm close. And not pregnant." Melody replied, apparently understanding the conversation.  
"What did you do?" I asked my nephew. He shrugged, squeezing his eyes in discomfort.  
"Well, don't tell my parents, but I got sent out today and I had to see the headmistress. Mr. Newton must really hate me now. especially since I accidently threw my milkshake on his suit." He explained, making Alana and Faith chuckle.  
"And he dropped his choconuts over him too. Accidently of course." Faith filled in. we all shook or head, chuckling. "Accidently huh? I hope for you that I won't accidently tell your parents." I threatened, not meaning it of course. It was enough to make Denim widen his eyes.  
"Shit! Nathan please don't? Dad's already mad at me for destroying the gate." He pleaded miserably. I frowned, hearing the three girls snicker silently.  
"Eh…Denim what have you done with the gate?"  
Melody starts to laugh loudly, gasping for breath." Haven't you noticed that large hole between the bars?" he asked in a tone that doubted my capacity of thinking.  
"Yeah…I think?"  
Maybe he had the right to doubt…  
"I was being attacked and ran through it. Dad is pissed at me about it since this gate is quite new…"  
Attacked? Why didn't I know of this?  
"And dad, do you know what attacked him?" Faith piped up smiling broadly with a devilish glint in her eye. Like father like daughter is what they always say isn't it?  
"Well tell me, dear princess?"  
"It was a bee."  
The whole table fell silent as it thought about that. This was hilarious. Denim Bright, one of the strongest vampire breeds existing, destroys the large gate in front of our house because he's being chased by a bitchy honeybee. Now that's what I call a good story.  
"Okay…so was your dad actually mad about the gate part, or the fact that you ran away like pussy when a bee was hunting for the amount of hair gel on your head?"  
"_entrambe_?"  
That was it! I completely cracked up, letting the others join my flow. Man this boy was hilarious. Strange since Adam and Scarlett were two very 'neat' people. I'd say mostly boring. His kid though…seems like old Adam has done something right on the famous honeymoon…

During the evening, everyone got his own way – Chris went further with some office work eh had to finish, Denim got to gaming in his room, Faith and Alana had started their new 'fashion-line' and I kept an eye on Melody.  
In the literally sense.  
"Are you seriously going to watch my every move?" she asked, irritated and brushing the top of her enormous belly.  
"Until my duty is taken over." I replied, making her frown. Just when I was about to explain I heard the car turn in the driveway. I was sure Melody heard t too.  
"I can be alone for five minutes you know…I'm not a toddler!" she argued, emphasizing with her arms and frowning.  
"No you're not. What's swimming inside you're womb though, are quite close to being toddlers." Charlie quipped from out of the hall while he hung his jacket on the peg.  
"You and dad are really, creepily alike. It's scary." Melody bashed, smiling slightly. Dad stood next to me now, smiling, tilting his mustache. He stared at my upper lip warily and I frowned deeply art him.  
"Ha! Nuh-uh! No way I'm getting a mustache dad! It's bad for my image."  
Charlie pouted," What? I'm sure you'll rock the Grandpa look." he said, clapping my shoulder and giving Melody a kiss on her cheek. My eyes widened in horror.  
"Never! Only the thought of Faith being…"I made a gurgle sound making Charlie laugh.  
"Now you know how it feels, son."

I was just done showering, putting on my jeans and a t-shirt when a loud, shrieking cry was heard from downstairs. I listened, located and found where it came from. I slammed the bathroom door open en rushed downstairs at vampire speed.  
Chris entered the same second as I did, while the kids followed, but staying behind us.  
Charlie came running out of the kitchen with wet a tea towel.  
And Melody was in the middle of it, standing doubled over and out of breath, clutching her belly. I saw the muscles of her body ripple under the thin materials of her pajama's before she cried out again.  
"AAAAAAH!"  
Charlie rushed to her, dabbing the tea towel on her sweaty forehead. What was going on? Was there something wrong with the babies?  
"SHIT!" Chris yelled suddenly, making my head snap towards him. and then I realized. my mind reeled as I thought of what to do.  
"Dad! Call Scar immediately!" I yelled at Charlie who went back into the kitchen right away while I went to Melody who was leaning up against the dining table.  
"Denim, Faith Alana, you guys go upstairs and wait there until one of us comes to get you alright?" they did as I demanded, running upstairs fast and probably having realized what was happening.  
"Chris, get the medical room ready! We need to act quickly!"  
And while Chris took off to the basement, trying to wreck open the room, since we had no key, I ran to my sister. she was crying, mewling from the pain in her belly. I held my arms around her in protection of what might come. She was in hysterics.  
"Yes? Scarlett finally! Listen, you need to come home RIGHT NOW! I've been trying to reach you multiple times but," Charlie was on the phone having joined me and my sister back in the dining room.  
"I know, Scar, but Melody is going into labor." Charlie went on, while Melody let out another wail of the pain.  
"Yes, she is in labor right NOW!"

* * *

**Alright so it might get a little confusing - things that happen with the cullens are further ahead than what happens with Melody. But it will get together soon! ;)**


	44. 43 -- Nathan Swan

**Nathan POV**

Charlie informed me that the ladies were on their way as fast as they could to get here. I let out a slight sigh of relief, even though I was completely stressed out about this – there were two babies on the way, it was past eleven in the evening and there was no sign of someone who would know what to do.  
A loud crack made me stop brushing my sisters shoulders. I turned around to see Chris walk p to me with a sorry expression.  
"I needed to crush the door – only Adam and Scarlett have the key."  
"Thank God for vampire strength…" I said, getting my attention back to Melody. She'd closed her eyes tightly to endure the pains in her lower regions.  
"Melody are the contractions close after one another or is there quite a while between them?" Charlie asked her, seriously. I was surprised. It was like he knew where he was actually talking about. Melody moaned from another contraction, "I think in between? Not fast after one another, but close enough to make me think I need to push soon!" she choked.  
"alright, Nathan, Chris, you need to move her to the basement and lay her on the bed. if the girls are not here in time we need to do this ourselves." Charlie demanded, making my eyes widen. I'd been there when Layla gave birth to my lovely daughter, but there was someone who actually helped her. Adam and Scar weren't here now so we had to do it all by ourselves.  
Chris and I made movement to pick her up, making sure she was comfortable enough in our arms before we brought her to the medical room. When we reached the, now door-less, door I raised an eyebrow at Chris, who shrugged. He hadn't only crushed the door, but also the frame.  
We rushed through and laid a still mewling Melody on the hospital bed.  
"I'm so scared.." she wailed, sniffling back the thick tears, "What if something s wrong with them? They shouldn't be here for a whole week!"  
"Melody try to calm down! Scarlett, Skye and Layla are almost here and they'll make sure to make you all safe alright?" I said, sternly so she would understand that staying calm was important for hers and her twin's safety.  
As she cried out loudly again, almost breaking my fingers with her hand, Scarlett sped into the room, followed by Skye.  
"Ok! Chris, you go help Layla prepare the eventual needed meds and other things upstairs. Charlie is there to help you guys and wait for Adam. Nathan I want you to help me with the delivery and Skye – you should support Melody!" Scarlett professionally ordered all of us. We did as she asked. She threw a scruff suit at me to wear so my clothes would get bloodied.  
"Melody how much time is there between contractions now?" Scar questioned while telling me to get her medical instruments.  
Melody cried again, groaning, "They're coming after one another!" she squeezed out of her throat when another contraction made her moan again.  
Skye stripped off Melody's leggings and underwear, spreading a sheet over that part. I didn't want to see that in my whole life. Ever.  
Scarlett was busy, down there, probably to check if she had dilated for ten centimeters. When she looked at me knowingly, I knew it was time.

"Melody listen; I know this is going really fast and different than with human pregnancies, but you need to focus on the task at hand! You can't drift off in your mind, worrying about all this. I need your full attention!" Scarlett bashed sternly. Melody nodded.  
"We're going to help you get through this – When I say push, you're going to do that as hard as you can. When you feel a contraction, but I don't tell you to push, you won't. if you do it might cause you dangers or for the twin. You should also know, that after the first one is out, it can take a while before the other gets here. So do not panic when you only see one!"  
Melody nodded again, whimpering while Skye hushed her. It struck me, that it was the four of us. as a team. Only we siblings. In some way I thought this was special and something we were destined to do.  
"Melody PUSH!" Scarlett yelled at her, as my sister obliged, screaming from the obvious cutting pain. I winced of it, staying at Scar's side fro when she needed me to do something. I saw the pain etched on Melody's face while Skye helped her to stay focused and breath normally.  
After another round of pushing, Scarlett let us know the head was out.  
"Nathan get a sterile blanket fro0m the top cupboard on the left and unfold it!" Scarlett said before she asked Melody to push again. the piercing cries went straight to my bone and I wanted nothing more than to protect my sister. it felt as if I was back to a year ago. When I was too late to protect her from Fiorenza. It only made my urge to get her safe worse for ten times. This was excruciating for me, bringing back the memories I wanted to forget so badly.

_'Daddy help us! Help Melody!' Faith was yelling at me from the stadium. I got raged when Denim called me. A piercing cry shattered my ears and heart. My baby sister. I ran as fast as my legs could drag me to get to her. And when I did, the vision I saw would be burned in my mind forever.  
There was blood everywhere o her body and the tears wet her cheeks. Her flesh was torn. She was torn. And I was too late to save her.  
"What happened!?" I barked, without getting an answer from any of them. I saw the were wounded too, but their priority was their aunt, their sister.  
"PLEASE! Kill me! END ME! I can't take this anymore!" were Melody's desperate words. Words that tore me into pieces_.

"You're almost there! Push one last time Melody!" I heard Scarlett yell again, breaking me from my fearful memories and hurrying to her. I didn't dare to look down, not wanting to see that part of my sisters anatomy.  
"OH FUUUCK!" Melody screamed extremely loud as she indeed pushed one last time. Scarlett grabbed the paper blankets from my hands just in time to catch the in blood covered, wrinkled baby in her arms.  
There was a moment of complete silence as Scarlett struggled to hold the child in a comfortable position in her hands when it started to wail. A round of loud cheers was heard from upstairs, where the rest of our family waited anxiously. I let out a sigh of utter relief when this happened and looked at Skye who was next to Melody, with the tears falling down her cheeks. Scarlett wasn't able to stop her tears either as she dried the small child somewhat.  
And then there was Melody, laying completely spent on the bed, trying to control her breathing and following Scarlett's every single move. Her sparkling wide eyes were worth more than a thousand words.  
I wasn't at all surprised Scarlett was able to dry the baby without having troubles with the connection to its mother – hybrid babies, apparently left the navel corn inside the womb in the last stadium of pregnancy. They survive completely on blood. At least that is what Adam once told me.  
I stood next to Scarlett as she handed Melody the in blanket wrapped baby. My youngest sister swallowed thickly and I saw her eyes flicker with various emotions.

"It's a boy. I'm not sure if this is the only boy, though," Scarlett giggled through her tears, followed by Skye and me. it was amazing to watch how Melody handled him, this little boy –her firstborn child.  
He had the right average length of those from a human baby. His skin was quite pale, but not as pale as ours – more like Melody's which was to be expected of course since she was his mother. His eyes were large, big-doe like and still very dark brown colored, just like mines were when I was only a few minutes old. The color would be changing in between a week. It was still funny to see, after having seen three other hybrid babies being born, that he already had some hair. Good thing – bald babies scared me. His unbelievably dark-brown, almost black hair, covered his head. It wasn't very long but even that would change soon enough.  
I focused on my sister again, as she held my new nephew in her arms, cradling it close to her chest while he stopped crying from the obvious heavy delivery.  
"He's so beautiful…" Melody whispered stunned by him, this situation, "I love you so much."  
And when I heard those words, I gave up. I wouldn't stop protecting her from any danger that might be caused, but it was time to let her go in some sense of the word.  
She was a mother of her own, having her own duties of protecting. And she could do it better than anyone else without even realizing this.  
The exact reason why the Volturi, including Fiorenza wanted her, dead or alive. And Melody didn't even know that.  
My sister, the incredibly innocent but also most dangerous and powerful vampire existing.

And this was only the beginning.


	45. 44 -- Melody Swan Edward Cullen

**MelodyPOV**

It was so overwhelming. All of it. When I noticed my water had been broken, the first thing that came into my head was – please, don't take them away from me.  
I thought something went wrong, changed or wasn't going as planned. But it actually was and not at the same time. Sure, the twin wasn't planned at all, but this was destined.  
I cried with the heavy pain of the contraction that constantly hit me from within while Scarlett and Skye supported me to get through it. Nathan was there too, but I understood he was nervous in some way. I pushed for what seemed way too long to last, but only lasted twenty minutes.  
And then he was there. My firstborn child. My son.  
When the clockworks hit forty past eleven at midnight one of the greatest miracles had concentrated my focus on its midpoint.  
When Scarlett placed him into my waiting arms, my breathing stocked. He was mine, my baby. The product of a love that only existed from one side. But that didn't matter.  
And he was so beautiful. His somewhat pale skin, big dark eyes and great enough amount of cute, soft and also extremely dark baby hair.  
The greatest shock, even though it was a good thing, was that he was looking so much like his father. I could already see that – his slightly hooked jaw, intense eyes, pale skin and even more. The dark hair must be from my side of the genes I supposed.  
I was so busy with focusing on my baby that I didn't realize that my siblings were staring at me. When Nathan cleared his throat I looked up, blushing again.  
"We don't want to intrude of course, sweetie but two things – first," Scarlett, my motherly sister was smiling from ear to ear, "We're awfully curious about his name!"  
"And second – there's another baby ahead, but he seems to take a while…Which one of you was the lazy one?" Skye jokes, but having a serious undertone laced through her voice. I was probably the lazy one…Edward never slept, obviously.  
I smiled smugly to myself, scrunching up my nose and looking sideways to my siblings who were waiting with raised eyebrows.  
"Well, I want to wait for the next one – If it's a girl it might make a difference…"  
"MELODY!"  
I chuckled –they knew I was just messing with them.  
"Alright, this here is," I took a deep breath and looked down at my son's peaceful face.

"Raven Charles Zachary," I grinned like the Cheshire cat, knowing well enough I'd chosen a name no one expected. But this was just right for him – especially when I saw he got the dark hair. Skye and Scarlett cheered and from upstairs I heard a few squeals flowing down the steps.  
I'd chosen it with thoughtfulness. Raven was his first name, fitting perfectly. Charles was from my own father of course – Raven was my first son, just like Nathan was from Charlie whom took over the same second name. And Zachary descended from Adam – he'd been my help from all sides and above all the one who saved my life during that horrendous summer.  
"It's fantastic Pigmy! He's cool man!" Nathan enthused. He might look like and asshole at times, but he truly was a soft egg. Especially with babies around.  
Just when I rolled my eyes, seeing the green numbers on the digital clockwork hit half past twelve at midnight, I felt my belly contract painfully again. I groaned loudly, wincing from the now very familiar pain.  
My siblings were fast with me – Nathan took Raven with him and seemed to bring him upstairs to get cleaned up and dressed by Layla. Skye started to help Scarlett with preparing for the next delivery, while I saw Chris getting inside the room, taking Nathan's place. Normally I would be extremely uncomfortable, laying there, bare with a torn pussy and bleeding heavily, but right now I didn't care. I read from his mind he did his best not to catch any kind of glimpse from my 'jewels'. Not my words.  
"AAH! Babies are really great, but DAMN-IT! Let this be over!" I growled loudly, pressing my teeth together and arching my neck against the cushions behind my head.  
"Melody, you can do this – the second will be less painful than the first," Skye assured me and I nodded, squeezing her hand tightly while scarlet was busy with checking the time between my contractions.  
And while a lot of people I loved were here, I found myself yet wishing for that one and only man.  
And, damn, how much I wanted Edward here with me by my side, telling me that we had a beautiful son, that I was doing great and that we'd see our second child together.  
But he wasn't here. He wouldn't.

I was crying and screaming from the tearing pain. Scarlett was indeed right it was much less painful, but that proved how painful the first time was. Breathing became harder for me though, nearing hyperventilating. My head was spinning awfully while I tried to stay focused and not to push when I shouldn't.  
"Melody, there's another contraction on the way! I count, you push!" Scarlett yelled sternly from between my legs. Believe it or not but even during delivering a twin, I was wishing Edward was between those legs doing much other things….  
"HOLY PENGUINS!" I roared when I felt the contraction hit, as Scarlett ushered me to push, which I did. now I understood why I needed to focus.  
I kept pushing, cursing and wailing again for another twenty minutes, hearing Skye telling me how far I was. When Skye informed I only had to push on last time, I mentally prepared myself again. I was so curious if it was a boy or a girl and if he or she would look like Edward even more than Raven did.  
The last contraction, the last sting of pain and the last bit of the chapter of my life I'd been through since my birthday in November. I wouldn't be pregnant anymore and walking around with Bumpy or Bumpette – I was a mother, having to raise my children.  
Scarlett's giggle of relief flooded through my ears, where I heard the blood pumping wildly through my veins. I was so tired from all the efforts I had to give, now and the last three months. If someone would ask me if I'd do it differently if I could get the hands in time, my answer would be a definite no.  
The desperate cry of a baby made me smile, as my eyes fluttered close, still dizzy from the whole night.  
"What is it?" I whispered, gasping for some breath while Skye wiped the now dried sweat from my head. Scarlett appeared above me, just like she did an hour earlier.  
"Faith and Alana are going to be in minority here – It's a boy, Melly," she announced gleefully handing me the squirming baby in my arms. And for the second time that night, I gasped in true wonder upon seeing him.  
It was obvious Raven was his twin brother – their facial features were almost exactly the same. His hair however looked shockingly much like Edward's making me panic a little. I was extremely positive that when he would grow older, he would be the spitting image of his father. I giggled while the happy tears flowed down my red cheeks – now I understood where E had been all along! His still short copper locks lay unruly on his head, probably from the birth just a few minutes ago. He squirmed in my arms, wailing because he too, had to give some effort at getting born.  
It had gone so fast – I fell in love with someone unreachable, ended up with him between the sheets eventually, got pregnant and now I was holding a part of all that in my arms. I was slightly worried though, how I was going to be able to hold both my sons. They were both beautiful, the best things that ever happened to me after those times of depression, pain and hatred. It was my turn to do everything right what Fiorenza had done wrong with me and my siblings. I would tell my boys how much I loved them every day. I would appreciate them and their wishes. I would explain them why we were different and that difference was beautiful. I would show them how much family meant. And I even might tell them about Edward, when they would be old enough and probably a decade ahead from now, when Edward probably found love in another vampire or moved on. And that saddened me, the idea of a life without Edward forever. It still made my chest ache excruciatingly. But with my twin here, I could make it bearable. I would be able to survive and maybe even try to live the life that had been given to me.  
But I would never, ever in a thousand years forget my Edward.

"And…?" Skye questioned wagging her eyebrows. I frowned as if I was disturbed by her presence, before grinning.  
"Hands off, my baby!"m I joked, kissing the little boy on his forehead as he yawned, his mouth forming a perfect 'O' shape.  
"The name Melody! We have to make birth announcements!" Chris said, rolling his eyes at me, probably already having a design in his head for the said cards.  
"Okay so,…the first is Raven because of the dark hair and I loved the name…." I babbled, looking at the bronze-haired baby on my chest. I hadn't truly expected it to be a boy, having a girl's name ready and set. Off course I had a boy's name, but now I had seen him, it didn't fit anymore. so I had to improvise.  
"Raven and….Blaze? Blaze….Yeah?" I enthused. Raven for the dark, mysterious boy and Blaze for the firecracker. Definitely.  
"Blaze Masen Drake," I stated, smiling crookedly. Blaze for his hair color and because I thought it fit nicely next to Raven. Masen came from his father of course, since he looked so much alike. And Drake came from my grandfather, Charlie's dad, Draco William Swan. Me and my grandfather had been very close before he died a few years back. It was the same Grandpa where I'd gotten my tag-necklace from.  
Another round of loud cheers sounded through the house, as if I was having a déjà vu – only holding another baby this time. My siblings congratulated me, kissing my cheeks and wishing me love and luck. Chris took Blaze with him to accompany his brother while Scarlett would make sure I was completely healed, cleaned and recovered. It was a funny fact that, while it was a twin, they didn't look like copies of one another. They also seemed to celebrate their birthday after one another – Raven on the twenty-second and Blaze on the twenty-third. But I liked that fact.  
Scarlett started cleaning up my stuff down under while I winced when she hit a sore spot. Of course everything was sore, but some places hurt more than others.  
When she was done cleaning me up, she gave me a clean white tee and white boy-shorts for me to wear. She dressed me in the fresh clothes, brushed my hair while I felt my body slip slowly into unconsciousness.  
"Don't panic Melody – this is normal. You're going to change slightly – get a bit more vampiric. You will heal from the delivery completely. We'll be here when you wake up. Sweet dreams, sweet sister. We love you."  
I heard her words vaguely while I felt my body sink into a peaceful slumber and vibrating with a strange kind of energy. A new energy.

Opening my eyes, I was surprised to not be in the medical room in our house anymore. Far from actually – I wasn't even in Los Angeles. I turned around, seeing the familiar circle of the meadow. Edward's meadow.  
But what was I doing here at this time? I looked down, gasping when I saw that my huge belly was gone. I smiled when I remembered I gave birth to them. They were alive, healthy and absolutely handsome.

I stepped forward, noticing the beauty of how the meadow looked in the moonlight, after a rain. How droplets lit up and colors vaguely were seen even though the grey of the night.  
"You're so beautiful, you've always been."

I quickly turned around when I heard that voice. His voice. The only one that could arise me from death if I wanted to.  
And there he stood, leaning against a tree at the border of the round circled open space. His hair was wild as ever, but dirty from mud. Also his jeans, bare chest and sneaker-clad feet were covered in dirt. He looked like an animal, one who should be ravaged.  
The intense look in his eyes made my heart flutter bringing back the memories.

How I'd nervously, not knowing what to do, opened his shirt with trembling fingers, inch by inch. How he asked me permission with his eyes making me nod to tell him I wanted it. How we'd both needed the connection to survive the time we had to be separate. His beautiful golden eyes, whose haunted me forever and yet even now when he stood against that tree.  
I remembered how he told me not to cry, the gentleness in his voice when he spoke. He was so very gentle with me even though that, during the moments that I completely gave myself to him it was extraordinary painful to me.  
And thinking back, we did make love – not in that exact moment, he wasn't in love with me, but what we created that night….that was love. The fruits of our passion.

I smiled widely, feeling the tears as they sprang free from my eyes while I thought about my babies again. Our babies – Edward had been part in that and would always be even though I would never see him again. And yet here he stood.  
But I was doubting the reality of this situation. The here and now.  
"I miss you," he said, the torment clear in his eyes. I swallowed thickly as he took my face between his ice cold hands. I never backed away from the temperature nor his touch. I craved that touch, I was desperate for that icy temperature. I'd been for months, hours.  
"I..I," I stammered between sobs, laying my hands over his, whose were still enclosed around my face. Edward shook his head, silencing me. His hands left my face and I whimpered form the loss, but he shook his head again before wrapping his large, strong arms around my petite body, pressing me against his stone, muscled chest. I sighed in contentment and wrapped my arms around his waist, for as far as I could reach. This was what I'd needed in all those time. Just his presence was able to bring me completely upside down.  
We stood there for what seemed like hours, me stroking his back, his hair just like he did with me. the feeling of his nose going alongside my jaw, up high into my hair made my skin tingle.

"I love you…" he whispered softly into my ear. My eyes widened when I felt the weight f his words crash down on me. This was not real at all. Only my mind would let Edward say this. The real Edward wouldn't. the real Edward wouldn't wrap me in his arms again. And he wouldn't at all whisper he loved me. I let go of his waist, squirming myself free from his grasp and taken a few steps back. I felt nauseas and dizzy all over again. he was lying. He was giving me a payback. My hands desperately found their way into my hair as I squeezed my eyes shut.  
"no..." I whimpered hopelessly, drowning in my own sorrow again. he shouldn't have said that. This wasn't real, Edward would never be with me again and hold me like that.  
"Melody please.." he tried, but I was too far gone. I'd already broke the connection.  
"No..Edward, no!" I choked, getting furious with very second. I snapped my teeth together and looked at him.  
"Liar! You filthy liar!" I screeched in desperation, fear and pain, before turning around and running off to nowhere in particular. As long as it wasn't going back to the past.

* * *

**Edward POV**

I ran after her, as fast as my legs could drag me. I almost got her, but she slipped through my fingers. Again.  
I sighed deeply, frustrated and ran further through the dark, thick bushes. There were animals enough here, but I wanted this one. She'd been irritating me since this afternoon and since I hadn't hunted for a while too long, I was ravenous.  
I'd become the monster I always knew was living in me.  
When I saw the yellowish fur of the damn mountain lion again, I was done with it. I growled loudly, baring my teeth and squeezing my eyes – Why wasn't there anything going right!?  
I sprinted into the trees, without the lion seeing me. I was sure the animal was smug she'd ran away from me, thinking I wouldn't catch her. So naïve.  
I crept slowly to the end of the thick twig, hanging practically above her. I could smell the scent of her blood very clearly now. It had been such a long time ago that I'd endured any kind of pleasure. But thinking about it, this pleasure, the blood pleasure, was nothing in comparison to the best night of my existence.  
Everything from that night would be burned into my mind for another row of lasting lifetimes. Every sound she made was music in my ears, how she breathed my name in true wonder. And when she touched me…good God…it made me wild with my need for her. The need I'd suppressed from the day I met her.  
She was so special, so innocent. And I was so mad when I heard she'd never be mine. someone else had her. Another reason to hate Jacob Black. I was somehow grateful for Bella telling me this or I would have hurt myself even more, being the masochist I am.

The mountain lion was still unaware of my presence while my inner rage took over my body. I leapt from the tree, making a scratching sound, just like the lion would have done If I hadn't already bitten her. I struggled fiercely when I sunk my teeth in the soft skin of its neck, sucking the life literally out of her.  
Mine. Melody Swan should have been mine. I wanted it so, so badly but that damn mutt had to sit in my way.  
I sucked the blood harsher, moaning as the ripples of pleasure rolled over my spine. Fuck! Her blood, Melody's….the sweet smell as if bathing in delicate flowers. And the soft scent of bananas that always seemed to come of her skin was delicious to me.  
I moaned louder as the feeling that was familiar to me as sobbing, overtook my senses. I pushed the lion's carcass roughly away from me, being suddenly appalled by it.  
I was a true, vile, terrifying monster that wasn't worth walking around here.  
I'd lusted after her while I had Bella as my so-said girlfriend. Sure I kind of loved Bella I guess, but not that way. Never in the way I wanted Mells.  
I sunk back against the tree behind me in agony. I'd ruined everything I could've done right for once.  
Maybe if I'd left without letting her hear anything from me and let things get out of hand, it would've been easier. But I didn't want to forget, especially not after what we shared that night. I hated myself for leaving her like that, hurting her, physically and mentally.  
But I was a selfish creature of nature – I wanted her body, her heart to be mine for once and that's what I got. It not so strange they always say 'be careful what you wish for'.

I looked down at myself, my body, letting out loud sobs of the blinding excruciation. I was acting like an outraged animal. My bleu jeans were torn at various places and covered in mud and dirt. My once grey sneakers had become black by said mud and dirt. My shirt had been destroyed weeks ago, so I left it somewhere at the beginning of the Brazilian Amazonas. I was looking more animalistic than ever before and I was sure my hair alone was the great example for that. And even though I'd drunk from the lion mere minutes ago, my eyes were still pitch black. Just as pitch black as my own damned soul.

After a while, I didn't know how long that 'while' had taken, I got up from the ground, feeling miserable. The blood didn't make me feel stronger at all. I felt as if my connection to Melody was getting weaker with the seconds. As if my memories would fade suddenly and I wouldn't remember her anymore. I feared it to happen.

I'd left, the best thing to do – for myself but also for Bella and Melody. Bella was irritated with me all the time and my love for Melody was starting to get to dangerous peaks. Thinking about it, I'd already committed to that crime after all – It killed me to think I might've raped her. She might think that. She possibly ran back into Jacob's waiting arms, his warm comforting arms to make her feel safe. She hated me, I was sure of that.  
I starting running again – even though she might hate me and want me to literally go to hell, I still wanted to protect her from everywhere I could.  
Victoria and Laurent were still on free feet. they could harm my girl whenever they wanted and it was my job to end both of them, for her. She should live in peace, not with dangerous myths and creature with extraordinary powers. I didn't even get that she wanted to be friends with someone who read other ones' minds. It was delusional to me.

It sickened me how Bella told me about what Melody and Jacob did together. Sometimes she said how close they were, kissing and all. And every time I had to keep myself form going to La Push and rip off the guy's head. Wolves couldn't be trusted. But I couldn't do that – If Melody was in love with Jacob, then I needed to let her be happy.

But it confused me everyday – if she was in love with Jacob so badly, why did she eventually ended up in my bed with my sheets? With me, my body? Why did she breathe my name in pleasure and not his.  
And even stranger was the fact that she obviously was still a virgin until then. I didn't know, didn't expect it. I went completely insane when I smelled the blood, in combination with the soft, sensual movements of our hips. I became wild, afraid I would break her.  
I still felt horrible for the fact that I caused the painful expressions on her face. I hurt her body, I made her cheat on her boyfriend. I made her do that.

I was so much in thought, still running at my fast speed, that I was actually startled when I was suddenly crashed against a tree. I felt the tree trunk tickle my back, before falling down and landing on my feet. I turned around to see whom had thrown me – it must have been a vampire.  
A few meters away from me, stood a woman – she was very tall for a female and her skin was tanned, even though it had a grayish glow over it. Her hair was long and black and her eyes a blazing red. A human drinker.  
_'Always the damn nomads! They should stay away from our territory..'_  
She stalked toward we, crouched into an attacking position while I saw two other's flash next to her. They had the same skin tones and hair, but the one was taller and the other smaller than the first woman I saw.  
It was strange though, that they did not recognize me.  
They growl as they prey upon me, wanting to get me out of their way but I stand up, holding up my hands in surrender.  
" I mean you no harm or intend to invade your territory." I say, staying calmly as possible. I wasn't strong enough to possibly fight off three Amazon vampires. Let alone Carlisle's friends.  
When the middle one, the first woman I'd seen, looked me in the eye, I saw her red eyes widen before she smiled lazily, baring her flashing white teeth.  
_'Well, well…a Cullen or a Denali..'_  
"Cullen. Edward Cullen." I replied, seeing the other women stop their stalking and looking at Kachiri in the middle.  
"Aaah…Carlisle's son, the mind reader I suppose?" Kachiri said with a Portuguese accent. I nodded at her and saw, and heard, the other two, Senna and Zafrina, realize who I was.  
"Edward!" the right one, Zafrina exclaimed happily. It had been a long time ago when we met for the first and last time. Carlisle and I had been doing research to myths close by.  
Their minds start babbling and trying to figure out why they did not recognize me at first.  
"You changed a lot, Edward," Senna noted, drawing out the r in my name. I shrugged. I supposed I did.  
"But do tell us Edward Cullen, what brings you here, so far from home? Is there anything wrong with Carlisle or your family?" Kachiri questioned, standing in front of me now and being quite attracted to my…six-pack. _'He's still just as handsome as he always had been. I wonder why he doesn't have a mate…' _  
Her thought stung a bit.  
I sighed heavily, "That's a difficult and long story…but to make it short – I'm looking for Victoria." I said, starting to explain them the story as they listened with true interest.  
"I know it's unusual, but me and my siblings became friends with two human girls, " I started, ignoring their shocked glances ,"they found out about our existence but swore to keep it a secret. At one day we went to play baseball with the whole group, they watched. Suddenly, my sister Alice, had a vision of three nomads passing through…" I murmured.  
"Everything went kind of wrong, making us chase James, one of the guys, not able to come after Victoria. Laurent, the leader, left to join the Denali's. James had almost…" I choked, remembering how I found Melody all bleeding in the grass. My dead heart was scattered with the sight, "We eventually ended him, burned him into ashes. Victoria fled."  
Kachiri, Zafrina and Senna seemed to ponder on my short story for a while.  
"and now…you want to destroy this Victoria? For what price Edward? Just two human girls?" Zafrina asked me a bit cynical.  
"It's more complicated – I fell in love with one of them. Me and my family left Forks after an accident, leaving them on their own….but I feel guilty. What if Victoria returns and takes revenge, killing my love?"  
_'does he finally find love, appears she to be human…Edward, Edward, Edward….'_

"Okay, I think you're really stupid with this whole falling in love with a human thing, but nevertheless we're going to help you hunt her down. right sisters?" Kachiri proposed, looking at her sisters who nodded without any doubt.  
I frowned, shaking my head, "no I can't ask that from you. I need to do this on my own,…to grief over this. There is something I want to ask you though – I'd like you to keep an eye on the area. If you see her, end her. Or let me know in any way." I proposed instead. Kachiri nodded, smiling friendly," Whatever you want Edward."  
"Well, I think I should head further then…it was great to see you again after all those years," I said as in saying good bye. The women once nodded.  
"Good Luck with your little Lover Edward!" Senna Yelled after me when I'd took off running again.

"And please let Carlisle know we said 'hi'!" Zafrina followed her sister. I nodded at their requests, not knowing if the saw and ran further, deeper into the thick rainforests of Brazil.

It was a good thing that running was a thing I particularly liked about what I was. it seemed, aside from the defeatism, the only I id lately. I was nearing Rio de Janeiro, a beautiful city from what I remembered. I'd been following Victoria's scent for weeks now, but tracking was not at all my strongest skill – usually I trusted on my mindreading abilities.  
The distant sound of my phone ringing for the thousandth time, makes me sigh deeply. Alice keeps calling texting and irritating the fuck out of me. I tugged the small gadget out of my pocket, wanting to block the incoming call, but stopped.  
It's Rosalie who's calling.  
I frowned, deciding I could pick up once – Rose hated me for everything so it was a rarity that she called.

I pushed the green button and pushed the phone against my ear.  
"Edward?" Rose's icy tone filled the silence in the rainforests. The hairs in my neck stood straight when I sensed a tone of misery in her voice.  
"Rosalie."  
"Oh God Edward! We're so sorry! It's our fault, from all of us!" my sister cried into the phone. I stopped dead in track. There was something hugely wrong.  
"I hate you so much! You did this to us! you killed them!" she cried even harder sobbing loudly. My breathing hitched harshly as a pain squeezed my chest.  
"Rose..what..what happened?" I asked her desperately. I didn't even want to consider…  
"Bella and Melody! That's what happened!" she snapped. My mind reeled with all her previous words. My fault. I killed them. Melody and Bella.  
"Rose WHAT happened to them!?" I yelled, my hand gripping at my chest tensely. A minute of silence passed, making me even more worried. If something had happened to my love, I'd go back this instant.  
"Remember the cliffs at La Push?" her snappy voice was right on, seeking for revenge in some way. I kept still. I remembered the high, sharp mountains all too well, which made me cringe even more.  
"They've jumped Edward. Right off those DAMN CLIFFS!" Rosalie roared.

"Please! PLEASE tell me they're fine!" I wailed, drowning like a man with no future. They survived, they had to. Melody had to have survived her incredulous suicidal ideas!  
"I'm sorry Edward…they didn't make it."  
And then, right there, my existence shattered into a painful amount of pieces.  
"NO! You're LYING! She's alive, my baby, she's alive! She has to!" I cried, sobbing and crushing everything that was in my path. My love, my life, my future. It was gone.  
Gone were the dreams she was the most important part of, the highlight. The dreams about her loving me back, marrying her. The illusion of daydreams of giving her the children she'd never possibly have from me.  
"Edward I'm not. Melody and Bella Swan are death by suicide."  
I shattered the phone with just my fingers, screaming out in agony. my limbs actually hurt, my head wanted to burst up in flames of distortion while my heart desperately tried to find her. My beautiful Melody.  
Images of her flooded my mind as she lay on the bottom of a sea with one of the most powerful elements of the earth caging her, pushing the life out of her. I couldn't breathe anymore, choking the unneeded pressure of air out.  
No longer her skin would color a crimson red. Never again will that spark shine in her dark eyes when she'd discovered my lies. I would never again be able to touch her soft skin, or to hold her hand, kiss her rose petal lips.  
I'd never have the chance to tell her I loved her nor to say goodbye.

My body numbed, coiled. As if there was ice flowing through my toxic veins, freezing the possibility to live an undead life.  
I felt as if I could feel her pain, her fight to survive. The ultimate struggle.  
I was unable to move, to remember, to try to forget. I couldn't. I could never get over this, this excruciating misery. The loss.  
I'd lain there for hours maybe days. I did not know. All I knew was, that the love of my existence, my other half, my sweetheart, had given away her life by my fault.  
And that's when I realized there was only one solution left.

To follow her.


	46. 45 -- Adam Bright Melody Swan

**Adam POV**

After having raced through the streets like a maniac, something that cause far against my limits, I finally arrived home. There were enough voices to know that every member of my family was home. I hurried through the front door, seeing Charlie chatting animatingly with Christopher. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw their genuine smiles.  
"Adam! It's about time! you're a tad too late though – the twin is already born." My father in law enthused. It was new to see him happy with this. Since he'd arrived here he kept grumbling non-stop, saying he accepted it. it was kind of astonishing to me though, that they all handled the birth by themselves. Of course, the fact that my precious wife was known in this area was a great help.  
I smiled," I take it everything went well then?"  
"yeah, it was freaky though. The screams and all, but I think they're just fine." Christopher said, nodding his head towards the medical room downstairs where they were still busy with my sister. I left both men in the kitchen and went down the stairs, my eyes widening when I saw that part of the doorpost was gone and the pieces crumbled on the floor.  
"Adam?"  
Hearing Scarlett's anxious tone alarmed me, standing by her in a millisecond. She immediately took hold of my hand to renew our connection. When I focused on the hospital bed though, I tensed. This was different.  
Melody lay there, sleeping while her body made her an immortal during healing the inner wounds. That was to be expected.  
The fact that sometimes, while she trashed and struggled against the mattress, her limbs faded, was alarming.  
I let go of my wife's hand, checking if the others were out of hearing range and went to Melody. She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as if she was fighting someone, something.  
"I think she's having a nightmare dear," I exclaimed just to calm Scar's nerves.  
"a nightmare!?"she whisper-yelled harshly at vampire pitch, "if she's having a nightmare, Adam why in hell is she being invisible the whole time!?"  
I frowned. Her vitals, heartbeat and breathing weren't in danger. The only unusual thing was indeed the invisibility. I thought about possibilities, while I suggested Scarlett to clean up the mess.

"Honey?"  
Scar looked up from her work and stared at me, expecting an answer. "yes?"  
I turned towards her, scratching my chin in a thinking manner. "after you changed into one of us, did something change along with you? Like an extra element of power perhaps?" I questioned, looking over to the squirming teenager that kept fading and back to visible the whole time.  
"You know I don't have gifts, Adam. Why?"  
"Well,…don't you think this could be another one of her gifts?" I replied, curious upon what she might say.  
"Adam it's already a rarity that she has one, already three let alone a fourth one." She said, making me scrunch up my nose. It was indeed different – reading minds she developed during learning to speak languages. The lightning thing came later when she was eleven. The shield she used at times and to keep herself from being found by the Volturi started to out itself after the accident. So why would a fourth power, invisibility be stranger?  
"Scarlett, we are strange to begin with. Melody's conditions and changes are even more different than ours. It's always been like that. She's an enigma. That fourth gift would only keep her safer and further away for, the claws in Italy."  
My wife sighed, her eyes shimmering," or more dangerous. Her shield only has to waver just a little too long and she'll be a danger to herself with all those freaky gifts."  
She was right and I realized that myself. Luckily if that might happen, I always had someone who got our backs – Carlisle had been my confederate since the vampire attack before summer. We'd met decades ago and he helped me to get used to the vegetarian diet. When I saw him again then in the hospital in Forks, we spoke for a long while.  
He would keep my family secret safe if I would keep his. He knew mine, I knew his.  
I was aware of it that melody hated me for setting such a rule. But it was for her safety from Aro, Caius and Marcus.

"Hey Scar," I suddenly thought, "I'm curious about my new pair of cousins," I started checking the medical machines to make sure melody would have a safe change. I questioned myself if she realized that her human life would be over from now on.  
Scarlett started to scrub away the blood on Melody's legs while she smiled brightly. Her emotion made me wish I was able to give her more children, but then again – Denim was our everything.  
"Skye and Layla took them upstairs to get cleaned up and warmed. From my first opinion they seem healthy."  
I nodded in understanding, looking over at Melody again. the wavering invisibility seemed to cease slightly.  
"so? A boy and a girl I guess? Both first names with an E?" I supposed, questioningly and focusing on my wife. Scarlett's smile appeared again while getting rid of the bloodied towels. I chuckled at her expression when she wanted to brush melody's just fading arm. It was interesting though – Scar touched her, so she didn't just disappear. She just got kind of see-through.  
"No Adam. Two boys. Seems like our son won't be the only boy in the house any longer. Oh! And Raven and Blaze are so awfully cute! You should look at them soon, baby."

I was surprised. Melody's great obsession with the letter E was a mystery to us. but I liked her choose of names.  
"Scar? Need any help?" Skye was standing behind me making me turn around. "oh, hey Adam! I made sure to get the kids ready for bed. They still have school tomorrow. I thought it would be nice if we all had breakfast together?"  
Scarlett and I nodded, "yes that might fit for the occasion!"  
"Adam, I think it's time for you to leave now – Skye and I want to change Melody's clothes." My wife hinted, making Skye chuckle. I rolled my eyes and left to go up the stairs. I heard the shifting of fabric, footsteps and two heartbeats very clearly. I entered the small nursery that Nathan, Christopher and I had painted last week, seeing Layla busy with placing the two little boys in their cribs.  
"Handsome aren't they?" she enthused, making nod even though I hadn't laid eyes on them yet. she stood up, "I'm going to join Nathan. He's trying to explain our children about the delivery but not exactly keeping it clean.." Layla winced, knowing my brother-in-law so well, "you'll get by yourself?"  
I nodded again and she left, closing the door behind her. I shoved the sleeves of my button-down up to my elbows, stepping closer to the squirming baby's.  
I saw pale faces, with hooked jaws and strong expressional eyes. Their hair was wild – one dark brown and one a bronze.  
And in a weird way, they seemed familiar to me. especially the hair and the eyes, the shape of them.  
I thought about it during my examinations – I wrote everything down. things like height, blood pressure, arm and leg lengths and eye colors. it kept nagging me, the familiarity I had upon seeing them.

I never really wondered how they might look like, let alone their mysterious father. Skye and Layla believed he was a human, but seeing the vitals and hearing the fast hybrid heartbeats, that couldn't be true.  
So it had to be a vampire. But how? Melody kept away from nomads, afraid for her anonymity.  
And Scarlett told me the story, about the classmate.  
My mind reeled as I placed Blaze, the bronze-haired one and the youngest of the two in his crib after the last examination.  
I looked at him, his hole appearance, my eyes widening at the realization I didn't expect at all.  
Melody's only, male classmate that was a vampire and looking freakily alike with those boys was Carlisle's youngest adoptive son.

Edward Cullen!

Those two babies are Edward Cullen's babies. Now I understood Melody's reasoning. Why she didn't tell. Why she was so anxious for the letter E. Why she was so extremely depressive.

Those little boys were beyond obvious Cullens.

"Adam?"  
Charlie's voice made me wake out of my trance. I'd been there, in the twin's nursery for the remainder of the night to keep them in sight. When Melody would wake up from the change she could see them first thing. It was funny that these little hybrids seemed to have a connection with each other. It was fascinating to watch. They would look at each other, search for eye contact and make the weirdest expressions. I was curious if they might've taken over the mindreading gift of their parents.  
"yes?" I yelled back at Charlie, standing up and closing the curtains to avoid flashy morning light.  
"Son, we're having breakfast. Scar informed me that it was ready downstairs."  
I appeared in the doorway immediately, startling my father-in-law somewhat, and closed the door to the nursery behind me where Raven and Blaze seemed to soundly asleep.  
I followed Charlie down and saw every member, apart from Melody, taking a seat at the large dining table. On top were the most delicious breakfast items, ready to be eaten.  
I sat down, my wife and thirteen year old son next to me and greeted everyone a good morning. Us grown-ups would stay home for the day, but Denim, Faith and Alana needed to go to school. if they'd stay home to much, humans would get suspicious when we were going to leave in a few weeks. It was time to leave sunny Los Angeles for a change.  
"And? How are the boys?" Skye asked, curiosity coloring her tone as the others all listened.  
"They're great. they grow fast but that's quite normal. It won't be strange if they grow even faster than our children – Melody is younger and carries an earlier fate." I explained. My mind jumped back to Edward Cullen for a second. I was genuinely curious about Melody's story that contained him.  
They all started cheering, eating and chatting animatingly. Charlie was absolutely gloating – he loved being a granddad.

During the rest of the morning, while we counted the remainder of twelve hours, every member got to look at Raven and Blaze. They didn't seem to like to constant flashing of Skye's camera though. We were all doing our own things, mostly relaxing and falling in love with the small creatures our youngest sister had given to our family.  
I was just reading a book when the clockwork hit half past eleven, and the heart monitor started to beat its regular pace.  
Melody was awake.

* * *

**Melody POV  
**

* * *

I'd been falling for a long time now, standing up each time over again before crashing down for another time. but I never knew where I'd land. Not then, not now.  
Leaving Edward in the meadow wasn't making things better, but I'd do everything for my twin, even if that meant leaving him forever.  
The strange sensation that coursed through my body was difficult to explain in words. It was as if it hurt, like someone put a blade on your wrist but not yet cutting through the sensitive skin. But it also felt powerful, like I could murder a whole bunch of the red-eyed bloodsucking demons. Aro would be the last to snap along with Fiorenza, who would face a very painful end if that was up to me.  
I felt like new, but not completely. I missed a piece and deep in my shattered heart I knew which piece that was. But did that make me less strong? It did, but not enough to fall down into a black hole again. this time, I had Raven and Blaze to keep my head above the water to breath.  
My heart started to beat faster, near its normal pace. I liked normal in that sense.

The next thing I saw, was the ceiling of the medical room in our house. But it looked like I saw everything better. I saw the tiny cracks I'd never seen before and the color seemed to be whiter.  
I let my hands wander downwards, to feel my babies kicking inside my womb. However, when I reached the spot, it was flat.  
Where's my Bumpy? Why is my belly as flat as before?  
Had everything been a dream? Did I even go to Forks at all?  
I was in a full blown panic mode. Maybe I'd been in a coma for a really long time? Where was my family, where were the endless wires?  
"Melody?"  
I recognized Adam's voice immediately. I'd never been able to do that before.  
When his face appeared above me, I gasped when I suddenly saw his scar. The place where he had been bitten over a hundred years ago. It had a crescent moon shape. I shifted my eyes to his, seeing more colors in the golden orbs. It was all so strange.  
Adam smiled friendly at me. "How are you feeling?"  
I didn't exactly know. Strange, yes, but maybe that wasn't the right word.  
"Can you say something?" my brother-in-law asked, while I heard shuffling from behind him. an exact count of eight minds were chatting curiously.  
I focused back on Adam's question, saying the first thing that colored my mind.  
"Where's Bumpy?"  
I heard a round of giggles and low manly chuckles. I frowned. Did I ask something weird?  
"Melody, you gave birth to the twin. Do you remember that? Skye is with them in the nursery. They're perfectly safe so there's nothing to worry about," he explained, throwing back memories as I remembered.  
"Raven and Blaze." I said automatically, feeling a pull towards them. I wanted hold and see them again. I felt my body relax immediately as I blew out a tense breath.  
"Do you want to get up?" Adam asked me, making me nod. He and Scarlett helped me to sit up, while I cringed from a sting in my crotch.  
Scarlett smiled apologetically, "getting babies isn't exactly awesome for the lady parts, dear." She chuckled.

Sitting up and more comfortable, I saw every member of my family standing behind Scarlett and Adam. Of course Skye wasn't there – she was taking care of my sons.  
I saw my brothers study me intensely, for any danger or wrong things. My sister and nieces smiled at me while Denim just grinned.  
And then Charlie, who surprisingly suffered from a crying jag. The poor man had the thick tears rolling into his famous mustache.  
"oh daddy!" I exclaimed, feeling my eyes get wet as well. Charlie hurried to me and enveloped me in his arms. It felt different at once – now I was a mother myself. I had children myself and wasn't a true child anymore.

Then the others hugged and congratulated me with the birth of my boys. My brothers joked this was the first and last time. they were going to lock me up and put a lock around the closure of my jeans. I just swatted their heads.  
When Scarlett was done examining me, she noted there was something different going on with my body. She explained I should've been like them now, full grown. But instead of that I appeared to only have changed slightly. She thought it might've been caused by the fact that my mate wasn't here to make it complete.  
When she mentioned my new ability I frowned. That wasn't possible. But when she started to suddenly yell at me and saying embarrassing things, I literally disappeared.  
I could get invisible and hit people without their knowledge.  
Now that is what I call fucking awesome.  
Nathan and Chris are going to feel so bad for nagging me all those years.

"Alright, are you ready to see the twin again?" Scarlett asked with a twinkle in her eye. Everyone appeared to be completely in love with the two baby vampires. I nodded vigorously and followed her off of the bed. the fabric of my baby pink chiffon dress fell softly upon the backs of my thighs.  
When we got up the stairs I felt extremely anxious to see them.  
"Aren't the kids supposed to be at school?" I asked Scarlett in attempt to calm myself. Scarlett shook her head, "they went this morning. Their last hours lapsed so they got home just in time for you to wake up," she answered, opening the door to the nursery.  
And there they were. I was astonished when I saw they'd grown a lot since yesterday. Scarlett made me sit down in a luxury chair and handed me a squirming Raven in my arms. His dark hair was slightly longer and his eyes a tad lighter.

"They're going to have golden eyes." I enthused, smiled widely while I held my oldest son. Scarlett giggled and picked up Blaze who was still laying in the crib before she sat down next to me, holding the bronze-haired chappie in her arms, next to his older brother. We sat there for hours, chatting cuddling and dreaming about how they would look when they were older.  
They were very alike in their facial features. Raven looked somewhat older though. I asked Scarlett about it.  
"Adam thinks it's because of the hour difference. It's very difficult to reason the developments and change you, raven and blaze make. Fate has an enormous hand in this. I'm sure if you look at them in a week, they'll be ever 'older'. Probably one-year olds, maybe even two. " she explained. It was kind of frustrating not to know what would happen and how they were going to end up.  
"so what's with the fast growing thing? It scares me." I whispered. Right in that moment, while Scarlett and I had already switched the twin so I was now holding Edward's almost true clone, Blaze, the door opened and Denim stepped in.

"Mom, dad said I needed to call you for dinner. Aunt Layla has made taco's for us because Melody likes them so much." The low boyish voice sounded. Scarlett smiled at me.  
"It's completely normal Melody."

It was almost March, Raven and Blaze were a week old and looking indeed like one-year-olds. Charlie and I had decided to go back to Forks to keep up the charade for Bella and the citizens of Forks. I'd convinced him it was dangerous for Bella to know, which ended up in a fight between me and Charlie. He was angry that I never told anything and always kept those mysterious secrets. I also found out Adam knew about Edward being the father of the twin. He promised me to keep it silent though.  
My bag was packed and we were taking the last preparations to go when Charlie suddenly burst into the room looking like he wanted to bite my head off.  
Blaze was tugging at my long hair while I gave him milk from his bottle. The other family members, apart from my cousins, entered the dining room as well, looking all curious.  
_'I let Raven sleep in the crib,_' Skye thought to me, afraid to speak.  
What the heck was going on?

"I know. So don't hide it anymore Melodiana!" Charlie roared loudly, making my cringe. I feared the worst.  
"W-What do you know?" I replied, my jaw tensed and my fingers straining against the plastic bottle. Unfortunately, Charlie only seemed to get angrier.  
_'they look like him way too much,'_ were his hateful thoughts and then I knew – there was only one person apart from Fiorenza who Charlie hated passionately.  
"I'm very, very disappointed in you Melodiana. I expected something better if you!" his voice bellowed through the house. I stood up, ignoring the confusion of my siblings.  
_'Oh God, he knows it's Edward..' _Adam thought with misery.  
"Why, Melodiana WHY Edward Cullen!?" Charlie yelled angrily. He was beyond furious at me.  
Silence and various gasps of surprise echoed through the room as I stood there, all alone with a baby in my arms.

"Wait a minute.." Nathan started, pointing at me, "You had sex with Bella's boyfriend!?" he growled. I winced again, shielding of Blaze's ears reflexively from the language.

"You mean Edward extremely handsome Cullen?" Skye said dreamily, earning a swat on her arm from Chris. "What? he is handsome. No wonder Melody couldn't resist!"she argued, earning an eye roll from her husband.  
Charlie wasn't thinking so funny about it and neither was Nathan.

"He cheated on Bella with you and then left you both depressive!? I can't believe you did that Melodiana Helena Marie!" Charlie raged further.  
"Alright! can you LISTEN for a change!?"I growled, silencing them all. I was pissed about this, that they were jumping to conclusions without letting me tell them the truth.  
"We didn't cheat okay? After that incident on our birthday the Cullens left – "  
"What incident!?" Charlie interrupted me.  
"Let me speak first ALRIGHT!" I growled, holding Blaze protectively against my chest. They shut their mouths, furious and irritated expressions on their faces. Never before had Charlie and Nathan looked alike so much.

"When Bella was missing and I was in the woods, I ran to the Cullen Estate, wanting to know if they weren't just secretly home. No one was there, but then Edward was standing behind me. I was scared and I pleaded with to stay but he wouldn't ," by this time I was a crying mess again, clutching his son even tighter to me as he lay relaxing against my shoulder.

"he said I needed to let him go, just like Bella did. He'd broken up with her in the woods, and dad you know that…After that he asked me for forgiveness, for what I didn't understand until he kissed me…" I whispered, swallowing the tears, "the rest is history. It was the most excruciating and most beautiful night of my existence. I would never want to go back in time and do it differently." I looked at Charlie who seemed to have calmed down slightly," I have no regrets. I only regret letting him go…" a loud sob racked through my throat, shaking my frame and causing Blaze to cry. I kissed his pale forehead and brushed his bronze hair, whispering soothing words to him.

The silence was deafening and tense. Minds were raging, reeling and astonished by my admissions.  
" What was the incident you were talking about?"Nathan spoke softly, sorrow in his golden eyes. I sighed deeply, asking Adam for permission with my eyes.  
"when Bella and I opened our birthday presents we got from Carlisle and Esmé, Bella cut open her finger by accident. A droplet of blood hit the carpeting, and then everything went so fast…Edward threw Bella against the table behind us, tagging me along while I got panicked by the smell. Jasper wanted to kill her, us as we sat on the ground and covered in the glass that had shattered. They were able to get Jasper away from us, but the look in Edward's eyes haunts me until this very minute. He left then and Bella passed out. Carlisle stitched my wounds and talked. He knows what I am, and promised to never reveal that to his family. Thinking back, I wish he hadn't." I explained, an old familiar fear gripping at my chest.

"But why? Why would they do that because of a tiny droplet of…" Charlie mused, confused, but then he realized something he never thought might be true.

"Blood? Charlie you must know that the Cullens are Vampires, that's why this all happened," Adam piped up, helping me out. I looked a shocked Charlie I the eye.

"that's why Raven and Blaze are more vampric than you've all thought…"

If I thought saying goodbye was hard, this was even worse.  
Only sixteen days earlier, I'd given birth to two baby boys. At that time they were to equalize to a normal newborn baby. And now, they were getting close to babies from one year old. Their hair had grown dramatically, their eyes had gotten the mystic golden color we all held and they had grew quite some inches in height.  
And now I had to say goodbye to them.  
I'd grown used to raising two kids while I was only a teenager myself. But it felt like I was made for it. Skye constantly followed me with her camera, while other family members were busy with packing.  
We needed to leave LA quite soon. Adam and Scarlett decided they could stay in Seattle, so they wouldn't turn themselves in the spotlights in Forks.  
In the meantime, Bella had called regularly to ask Charlie how long we would stay.  
And now I was already crying for fifteen minutes because I was afraid to let my babies here without me. it wasn't that I didn't trust my family – I did with my whole life.  
It was more my mother instinct and the fact that loved their presence.  
Raven was tugging at my hair, playing with the bouncy curls as he held a solemn expression on his face. It was kind of sad, which made me cry harder.  
"Melody, I know you don't want to leave them, but we need to catch the plane." Charlie was waiting by Chris' car for me to get in. He was still shocked by the revelations we gave him on the Cullens. Charlie also started to hate Edward even more than he did. He accepted the fact that I had children now, but was extremely mad on my actions and with whom I'd gotten them with. Those were freaky times, when Charlie tried to imagine how Edward and I were getting a roll', and was truly disgusted by it. I suggested he should quit it, since I was getting a bit nauseas if it as well – he envisioned Edward as some kind of red-eyed monkey with hair everywhere. Thank God that wasn't true!

My sisters were keeping me busy and trying to convince me they would take good care of my sons.  
Swallowing I kissed Raven's forehead and crouched down to place him next to Blaze.  
"I'll miss you. But you'll see Mommy soon enough." I said sternly, more to myself than to them. I brushed their hair and rosy cheeks.  
Then, Blaze opened his mouth, making a whimpering sound before they both amazed us all.

"Mommy…" Blaze began, making my heart drop and blossom up with love. The bronze-haired boy looked over to Raven.  
"Miss you too…"

What a great timing – now I cried for another ten minutes because they'd uttered their first words. Finally I was strong enough to go, keeping in mind I'd see them back soon.


	47. 46 -- Melody Swan

After a few hours of flying, Charlie and I arrived at the airport in Port Angeles. during the flight we barely spoke which made me feel awful. Charlie's mind was mostly occupied with the Cullens being vampires from the real kind. It was difficult for him to get used to that idea.  
I hated it that he was so angry with me, even though I told him my secrets by all honesty.  
Charlie was walking quickly to the exit of the airport, where Jake and Bella would pick us up. I wasn't so fond of that idea, but I had to keep friends with my dad.

Anxious to know how my boys were, I dialed the familiar number while I followed Charlie through the bunch of traveling humans.  
"Hi Melody, it's Layla!"  
My sister-in-law picked up by the second ring. I smiled in relief. "Hey, I wanted to let you know we're at PA. How are Raz and Aze?" I asked, almost sounding demanding. At home, we'd given the twin shorter nicknames – Raz for Raven and Aze for Blaze.  
I heard Layla Chuckle through the phone, "They're absolutely fine Melody. The night was a tad difficult though – they kind of refused to sleep in the cribs, so me and Scarlett held them all night." She said.  
I felt a pang of guilt hit, but if I kept reminding myself it was for the safety of us all, it would ease the pain.

I spoke with Layla a bit more, but soon enough I had to hang up – we were nearing the car where I saw Jacob and Bella waiting.  
I'd taken precautions for this trip back. My eyes were golden and wouldn't fade this fast, so a pair of dark-brown contacts covered that up for me. my hair was straightened and bound in the for Forks familiar pony-tail.  
When Charlie was there, he hugged Bella and Jake to him. I needed to swallow the hurt – the looked like the happy perfect human family. And what was I to Charlie now? the unwanted mutant with a twin that wasn't supposed to be born?  
I averted my eyes while I dropped my heavy backpack in the backseat, as they ignored me completely. It made me doubt my decision to go back, even if it was to keep up the charade.

"Hey dwarf! Long time no see! Where the hell have you been?" the ever-irritating Bella spoke up, leaving Charlie and Jacob to talk. Bella enveloped me in a hug as well and I needed to contain myself to not push her away.  
"Hey Bella. good to see you too," I pushed out of my throat. I didn't expect the feelings of loathing and betrayal when I saw her again. this would get all 'teeth to each other'.  
I noticed Bella studying my wrist, frowning,_ 'Huh, so it seems she's forgotten all over the Cullens. At least I can get Edward again if he's going to come back – Melody wasn't interested in him at all!' _  
"What's that?" she now pointed at the small silver plate that was bound with two blue cords around my wrist, at the place where my Cullen bracelet once sat. I let my finger touch the cold metal.  
"It's a bracelet Bella," I said spryly. Bella rolled her eyes, while I saw Charlie and Jacob, who looked a lot different now, fixate their eyes on me.  
"No, smart ass, where do the letters stand for? Do you have a boyfriend?" she questioned, trying to guess where the letters 'R' and 'B' meant for. I shrugged, feeling my father's eyes burn a hole through my head.  
"oh…well, I got some really good friends in LA. They got me this as a remembrance. We err…went to a few R&B concerts at the beach.." I lied, not as fluently then I wished, but that might've been caused by Charlie who now knew about the lies.  
Bella nodded, disappointed by the truth she thought to hear. I think if she would've known the exact truth, she'd set her claws on my neck.

We got in the car and drove to Forks in what seemed to take too much time for my liking. I didn't say anything, while I listened carefully to the revelations on the murders that had taken place before I ran away. Jake said, that that afternoon, Harry Clearwater and a few other hunters, were going into the woods to catch the killer. In Jacob's mind I read that the wolves would do the major thing. Bella felt restless for some reason and the ice cold glare I got from Charlie through the rearview mirror made me cringe.  
There was something distant and hostile about Jacob, who glared at me also each time he got the chance. But it was out of protection. I didn't really get it – Jake and I had been friends but not very close. I even hated his presence at times.  
But his appearance made me suspicious. His once long hair, was now cropped extremely short and the look in his eyes was far from friendly, the Jacob I'd known. During Christmas he seemed to know about the wolves, just like he did now, but there was something more about it.

As we finally reached Charlie's home, we soon separated. Bella said she needed to visit Angela and Jessica that afternoon and Charlie quickly got ready to join Harry on his search. It was still unclear which vampire was haunting Forks, something that freaked me out. I tried to silently convince Charlie not to go, but he was relentless.  
And now I was left with Jacob.  
I was picking out the important things, like my wallet, phone and keys out of my backpack, when Jacob suddenly spoke.

"Do you even know what's going on here?" he said, a cynical huff seeping through his voice. I turned to him, frowning.  
"Nope, enlighten me." I said back sharply. I knew things, but not everything.  
"Bella said you know about the Cullens too. And about this Laurent person and the red-head." He stated. I felt uncomfortable, hearing about Victoria, who was still alive and planning a painful revenge on us. I nodded curtly.  
"I'm going to tell you the same as I told Bella – stay away from vampires. We can't protect you everywhere and you are risking the town's safety. "he all but growled. I huffed.

"Who are you? My grandfather? Shouldn't I choose that myself?" I replied, bitch in place. Jacob balled his fists, clenching his jaw.  
"Melody, there are humans being killed! This red-head vampire is taunting us for weeks! She's looking for something but we don't know what!" he barked. I gasped – Victoria was here in Forks and my father was hunting for her.  
"Well maybe you don't know because your furry friends don't have a proper brain or are way too slow to catch her!"  
"How do you know!?" he roared, angry. I huffed a laugh. "I can read minds remember, Black?" I groused back at him. we stood there staring at each other furiously. I wanted nothing more than to slap him. hard.  
"I'm not done with this, Melody, but right now, I have to make sure your dad isn't going to be killed by that bloodsucker!" he roared once more, before running outside, me on his heels, just in time to see him cross the street and phase into a wolf himself.  
So that was it – Jacob didn't just knew about it, he was part of it.

Suddenly, I realized, Bella was also a head target to Victoria's revenge. I immediately jumped into my fiat and drove to Angela at the fastest speed my car could handle. When I reached the house, I got out of the fiat and knocked.  
Angela opened and gave me a weird look, 'she's back? What is she doing here?'  
"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt but I really need to talk to Bella!" I pleaded, searching if she might stand behind Angela.  
Angela frowned, "Well, I don't know if you noticed but her truck is not standing in the driveway- she isn't even here." She said matter-of-factly. I turned my head and indeed saw no sign f the Roaring Beasty truck. Now I panicked.  
"Do you know where she is then?" I asked desperately needing to know.  
"She went cliff diving with her boyfriend Jacob Black. She's probably at La Push." Angela said shrugging indifferently before slamming the door shut.  
Why would she go cliff diving? That shit is dangerous and…

Fuck my life! Jacob isn't even there!  
I ran to my car and maneuvered the small vehicle through the city. I searched to small mountains and cliffs at La Push, but didn't find her.  
"Damn-it Bella!" I swore harshly when I stepped out of the car to search by foot. I could get closer like that.  
When I ten minutes later, saw the red Chevy standing next to a tree, I cursed for another round.  
What she must be thinking! Everyone is worried about the whole Victoria thing and she decides to get funny and goes diving off a cliff!?  
I put it on a walk and searched through the woods, up the hill.

"Bella! Be-llaa!? BELLA!" I screamed until I was hoarse. I was close to giving up when I got an idea.  
I could follow her scent.  
After the birth, my senses had become more sensitive.  
I sniffed the air and concentrated, focusing on anything that could be Bella. When I caught a strange strawberry scent that led to the higher cliffs, I raced after it. I momentarily didn't care about wolves that might see me. when I was difficult to walk over the path that was being blocked by a great amount of bushes and plants, I tried to climb a tree, which went quite successfully. I jumped to every thick enough nearby trunk to reach the cliffs. When I saw light coming through the trees, I worked myself back to the forest grounds. It started raining enormously and the air was dark, the signs of a storm. My jeans, black long sleeve and green converse were getting soaked as I ran further, whisking along the trees.  
Even though I disliked Bella greatly, I couldn't help but worry about her. She was family and I cherished every aspect of that. I started appreciate it more after Raven and Blaze were born.  
Imagining their faces, I ran faster, being so overly glad they weren´t here now. the possibility of Victoria coming close to them made my instinct tense, even as my muscles.

When I saw the end of the enormous rock, with the dangerous and angry clouds roaring above it, I saw Bella taking a deep breath. I gasped and debated if I should slow to human pace or to run faster.  
_´It´s her! Always her! Why not only me for a change!´ _  
When I wanted to yell her name in time to stop her I was too late. Bella took a step back and jumped right of the cliff, into the wild churning water.  
"BELLA NO!"  
There was no time to question why I did as I acted, why is even considered this, when I jumped after her, my eyes wide open and shielding myself from everything that could hurt r batter me. I was flying, and the feeling gave me chills even though I was busy saving my half sister from a drowning death.  
I hit the surface of the freezing water, seeing my limbs fade as I sank deeper, kicking my feet. I searched with my eyes, for Bella, only seeing the water swirl heavily. I was able to hold my breath for quite a while, but forever. It's when I realized I technically was still human.  
I wasn't like my siblings, not yet. maybe I'd never be.

I'd made the wrong decision. I'd expected myself better and greater than my body could afford. Now I struggled, grasping my throat, where I needed the air. Air I couldn't breathe.

Drowning had been one of my highest fears the last few months. But I never realized it would happen like this. I muscles lost their strain, my body surrendered to the invincible power of the stormy ocean. I heard thunder strike as lightning rose.

I saw Edward, who smiled and reached for my hand. I wanted to take it, letting him take me somewhere where we could be together for once more.

There was almost no turning back now, even while I saw Bella floating, losing it too.

It would be peaceful. So easy. Like floating, just like I did now.

I felt my shield fall away, my limbs getting their normal appearance, seeing my pale skin. I would be fine, I guessed. I let my eyes fall close, seeing Bella kick her legs once, in attempt to survive the breathless suffering.

I reached for Edwards outstretched hand, grazing his fingers, when suddenly disappeared into the water as he left me again.

I needed to choose if there was a possibility to have a choice, left. I let my slow beating heart speak, and it spoke loudly, certainly.

My eyes widened, furious at myself to get fooled by the memories.

Raven and Blaze were my safe place. My home. The reason to fight and forget the cruel drought in my lungs that pleaded for air.  
My babies. I couldn´t die and leave my babies. That´s worst thing a mother could do to her children. to choose wrongly and giving up.  
I clenched my teeth and strained my sore muscles, feeling the power rise in my veins.  
I was Melody Swan, damn-it, and I didn´t let the fear for a vampire squish me.

I kicked with my feet, swimming as the blue lightning flashes empowered my body, shielded me. reaching out, I grasped Bella's arm and tugged her upwards. I felt their power.  
It was as if Denim, Faith and Alana helped to get the strength, to control the lightning. It were Raven, Blaze and Edward n my mind who kept my heart at the steady pace. It was like Nathan was there to ease the forceful water with his elemental talent.  
I pushed, kicked and strained. Air, I needed air.

My hand reached above the water, before I resurfaced. I whimpered from the dry pain, which wasn't for blood this time. I fought to get us to the shore, stumbling and coughing when my feet were able to touch the wet sand. I dragged a limp Bella with me fearing, but suppressing it.  
We were strong enough, even Bella. We were Swan's for a reason.

Dropping Bella as carefully possible in the sand of La Push Beach, breathing hard from the effort. My lightning was gone, just as my invisibility.  
"Bella come on!" I rasped with what little was over from my voice. Her lips were blue, even as her fingers. I listened to her heart and lungs. She was still alive.  
I started to pump at her chest to let her cough up the water she'd gotten in. after a few times, she coughed, letting water flow out of her mouth each time her lungs squeezed.  
She stared at me, guilt written in her eyes.  
"Will you never, ever do that to me again!" I growled with the rasp evident in my voice. Bella started crying, whispering sorry.  
"Thanks for saving me." She said as I helped her upright. We were both soaked through the bone while the storm still raged over Forks.  
"If you hadn't done that, I didn't have to have done it at all." I snapped. Bella didn't reply. When I heard the sound of feet hitting the ground I looked up. It was Sam Uley, one of the wolves.  
"Bella, Melody, what are you doing here!? Don't you realize you're on dangerous territory!? You have to go back to Charlie's, Jake will take you there. The rest of us is going to Billy's." He barked, not giving us the chance to answer. I read his mind while Bella stormed over to Jacob who was walking up to us.  
In Sam's memory, I saw Charlie and Harry run. Charlie turned around, leaving harry slightly behind him. Harry fell to the ground all of the sudden, clutching his chest where his heart lay.  
Sam's memory stopped then, pained with it. But I knew enough from what I'd seen.  
"Harry had a heart attack..." I exclaimed staring straight ahead of me.  
Jacob looked at Bells, "What!? Jake that's not true right?" she cried. Jacob didn't reply which made Bella hit her hand in front of her mouth.  
"He didn't survive..." my voice was haunting, feeling the pain of the others. From the happy moments I'd shared with my sons, I was back in the hectic atmospheres from Forks.

Jacob brought me and Bella back to Charlie's. The silence was prickling and as soon as we'd enter the house, Bella would meet an angry Melody. And knowing what happened in the past, that would be a true party. I was truly pissed at her for doing that. Jacob let us get out of the car, kissing Bella's cheek. I just stared, my eyes holding the immense cold layer as I did.  
Suddenly, Jacob tensed baring his teeth and focusing on the house. I turned around to look but didn't see anything.  
"Jake what is it?" Bella asked him, confused by his animalistic behaviour. He was a dog after all, right?  
"Melody, Bella, get back in the car. NOW!" he ordered tugging at Bella's arm as she confusingly obliged to his demand. I still stood there searching around for something when I caught Jacob's thought.  
There was a vampire close.  
"Melody now! We don't have much time!" Jacob yelled at me but I was made of stone, nailed to the ground.  
The smell was familiar. And I'd only seen Victoria once. Not long enough to remember it.  
"Melody look! There, at the porch!" Bella suddenly said, shock in her tone. I gazed where she referred too and gasped.  
There was hanging a white trench coat over the railing and when I focused really well, I saw that the front door hadn't been opened by a key.  
It was Alice's coat. The one from that designer she always wanted to wear. My heart leapt, wanting to run back into my best friends arms. There was no doubt it was Alice – it's why the smell was so familiar to me.  
"Jake let me through! We need to go in!" Bella argued with her furry boyfriend. I was already taking tentative steps towards the house, extremely nervous. What if that was indeed Alice – what would I do? Get angry with her? Or forgive her if she asked me to? I wanted to know why, the true reason why she left. I knew Edward's reasons, and they hurt me, but why would she follow?  
Behind me was Jacob still busy to keep Bella in the car as they fought. I didn't really knew why Bella was just as desperate as I was, to see Alice.  
Good thing Jacob was too busy with keeping up Bella and too weak to eventually fight me.  
I started running at a human pace towards the house, hearing Jacob curse when he saw. He left Bella who jumped out of his car and followed me. When Bella had passed Jacob because he stopped running he growled.  
"I can't help you there! It's not my territory! If something goes wrong.." Jake mewled, frustrated. But I didn't listen anymore. I quickly opened the door with the belonging key and threw it open, not yet stepping in. It was completely dark and I took a hesitating step forward. My heart was beating madly, just like Bella's did.  
Inside I flipped on the lights, shrieking when i saw something move beside me. I turned seeing nobody else than a shocked Alice Cullen.  
And Alice didn't get shocked. Ever.  
"ALICE!" I exclaimed, immediately flinging my arms around her frame. Alice stumbled a bit, still wide-eyed.  
"Melody? Bella? What the hell? How is it possible that you're still alive!?" she screeched, her golden eyes wide and worried. I frowned. Why would she think we were dead?  
Just then I saw the vision in Alice's mind, when it suddenly stopped, completely black.  
"Alice it's NOT what you think – "  
"I SAW YOU JUMP OF A FUCKING CLIFF! DO YOU HAVE A DEAD WISH!?" she roared, the fire evident in her eyes.  
"NO! BUT MAYBE IF HADN'T LEFT NOTHING OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!" I fired back, a still pissed from the cliff incident and now Alice. All my pent-up emotions were getting a small open door to flow through now.

Alice winced and I deep down knew she never had wanted this._ 'I can't tell you how sorry I am! There are no words...' _  
"Alice, if Edward decides to be a selfish monster doesn't mean you have to follow! He is not your mom! Why didn't you stay? WHY!?" I choked, blinking back the threatening liquid that was piling up in my eyes.  
Alice let out a sob, even though her eyes couldn't cry the tears I desperately wanted to hide.  
"I've been so worried! Every day we called him. We all wondered how you were, how you felt and if you indeed moved on, just like my brother assumed you would. He said that you were humans and humans have a bad memory...So when I got a vision of you both jumping off a cliff where it ended with no future...I lost my mind!" she whispered, hysterical and seeming so weak now. Not the Alice we knew – the skippyball fashionista.  
"I told the others, we've been staying in Denali ever since, and Carlisle ushered me to go find you, to support Charlie in every way I could – we thought he must be lunatic! So I got some stuff together and ran over here, actually waiting to catch Charlie and help him deal with it...but you're still alive! How?"  
I sighed deeply, hearing Bella's shaky breath as well when she thought about the terrifying feeling of the water scratching your lungs.  
"let's sit down?" I suggested with questioning eyes. Alice nodded and followed us to the couch.

"Listen; I just got back to Forks this morning. I had no idea what was going on." I started earning a curious look and the obvious question popped through her head. "I'll tell you later why."  
"There have been a few kills here and there….Charlie and the police are on the case. With Christmas we found out Laurent had been one of the killers." Bella said. Alice was worried again. "Laurent!? Irina told me he'd been visiting old friends in France. He would be back next week." Alice stated. I scrunched up my nose, "Not very likely…"  
"How? did he get killed?" Alice didn't get it at all. Bella and I nodded. When my best friend was about to ask who had done that, Jacob stepped in, making Alice make an 'eww' sound.  
"I thought you couldn't help us?" Bella asked sarcastically as he strolled to us, irritation written all over his features.  
"I came to check if you were alright." he said curtly, looking at Alice loathingly. Alice rolled her eyes.  
"well I wouldn't hurt anyone, dog." She said, making me want to high-five her. Jacob just huffed and didn't reply.  
"Jake, we're fine. Go help your family. They need it." Bella assured him. Jake's eyes shimmered with emotion for a moment before he shook his head.  
"The wolves killed Laurent. But it appears he's not alone…" I went on to get the story out. I hated talking about it. I saw Alice's intuition flicker. "Victoria? Has she been here all the time?"  
Now it was my turn to frown, "yeah? Did you think she was somewhere else?" I asked, seeing her stand up and brushing her chin.  
"In the two visits Edward gave us, he said to be chasing her. He said she was in Brazil! He's been looking for her for weeks!"  
Hearing Alice mention Edward in a situation that wasn't a memory but something he currently busy with tugged at my heart.  
"We've been trying to hunt her down ever since. Today we were close to catching her, but she fled, through the water." Jacob piped up, holding Bella's hand, which didn't go unnoticed by Alice.  
"And I went cliff-diving. Just for fun. I didn't realize what was all happening at that moment. And I didn't expect the water to be so strong – it was a good thing Melody jumped after me and got me out of the water somehow." Bella said, shrugging. Alice gave me a strange but knowing look – as if she knew how I'd done it.  
"I need to talk to you two."Jacob suddenly said, "Alone." Glancing with hatred at Alice. Alice huffed and turned around."Fine, I'll go. I'll be outside."

"What!?" I quipped at Jacob who ushered bell and me towards the kitchen.  
"I told you both to stay away from vampires! And now you're happily chatting with one!" he barked.  
"She's a Cullen! You know that they don't cause any harm Jake!" Bella snapped back to him.  
"Bells they are dangerous, eve the Cullens! I'm forbidding you to come close to any of them, understood?" he said sternly, looking us in the eye.  
"who the FUCK do you think you ARE! You have no right to tell us what to do!" I screeched at him, swaying quit my arms angrily.  
"I do have that right when you're humans I have to protect from BLOODSUCKERS!"  
I stared at him, fire blazing in my eyes. He'd practically just insulted me, my family and my babies.  
I took a step closer to him, jabbing my finger in his naked torso, which disgusted me, "Listen to me, Jacob Black, I'm old and wise enough to make my own decisions, just as Bells and to make it clear – I'm closer to being a parent than you are!" I spat furiously. Jacob however, didn't believe that.  
He wanted to reply back at me when a terrifying vision brought me to my knees.

_A dark hall, echoing footsteps and enormous doors. Clearly midnight. The room was awfully familiar, a place where death was a normality, where blood had been cast for hundreds of years.  
The three thrones in the middle seemed to be having the greatest attention as they were neared.  
Three thousands of years old men sat there. one bored, another frustrated and the one in the middle with a wicked grin plastered on his almost translucent skin. The red eyes were to be expected.  
'Young Edward, why oh why? Such a waste…' Aro mused with his high voice. There was commotion in the room surrounding the pale-skinned beauty with bronze hair.  
'I have no intention or any reason to continue the life of a living dead.' Edward said, emotionless with eyes pitch black as the darkest night and burning as if being in the cruelest hell.  
Aro stepped forward, a apologetic smile now, and took Edward's shoulders in his hands, pushing him to his knees. Edward closed his eyes.  
'then I'll do as you wish, Young Edward,' Are drawled seconds before took hold of Edward's neck and twisted it, crushing it before ripping it off, dropping the head and laughing sadistically.  
Eyes. Dead eyes, were the only thing to see the no longer ahead future._

I was frozen. My breathing had stopped, my heart skipped a beat. My eyes wide open.  
Never. Never in all those months had I expected this. That Edward left me, was cruel and devastating, but his decision to end his life had me shocked and silent.  
I wanted to scream, to destroy everything and everyone who had taken him away from me. to make it all worse, would it be the Volturi to kill him. Aro with his fake smile that sickened me till no end.  
"MELODY! Stay with us! it hasn't happened yet it's a vision! He's still alive!" I vaguely heard Alice plead in my ear as she held my upper arms, shaking me to conscious. I heard the words – it hadn't happened. Yet. those dead eyes, they haunted me, sending shivers of vast fear down my spine.  
Edward would die.  
"Melody we can still prevent it! make a choice! Choose him! we're going to take him away from Volterra! You have to answer me Mells! For Edward!" Alice words were louder now while I saw Bella packing her backpack frantically, just as mine.  
'I knew it! I know you love him Melody, so please! Get up and be his woman! Now it's your turn to save him!'  
Alice's thought made me snap back and jumping up immediately, startling the vampire. I leaned my arms against the kitchen counter, breathing hard, straining my fingers.  
"Melody…?" Alice stood hesitatingly behind me. my shaking hands enclosed a glass vase that stood on the counter. Without a second thought I turned around and threw it against the opposite wall with enormous speed and strength. At that moment the phone rang. Everyone fell silent.  
Jacob the asshole Black ran up to it and picked up.  
"No Charlie's not here, he's arranging a funeral, leech!" he barked before hanging up. Alice was about to tear Jacob into pieces when I realized.  
"THAT WAS EDWARD YOU MONGROL!" I roared, hitting Jacob in the face. He grabbed at his eye which I sure was going to be turning Black anytime soon. Would sooth his damn last name more than perfectly.  
"Melody we have to go NOW! there is little time left!" Alice desperately yelled. I looked at her, my eyes pleading, asking and filled with agony.  
Then I looked at the bracelet on my wrist.  
Going to Volterra would be extraordinary risky and above all dangerous. But risking the Volturi laying a hand on Raven and Blaze some day in the future was clear enough to make the right choice.

"If someone has a death wish, it's Aro." I growled, baring my teeth.

Alice's encouraging smile made me follow her and Bella, who was already outside with our  
backpacks. Alice suddenly disappeared, returning moments later with a starting engine of a Mercedes.  
"I rented it. Now, get in we have to catch a plane!" Alice said while Bella took the backseat, pushing our backpacks in it. I looked behind me, at the house, seeing Jacob, who was still clutching his eye running up to us.  
I made a small sprint and got in next to Alice.  
"Bells don't do this! It's not your business anymore!" Jacob begged with Bella. but she was determined.  
"Jake, I can't let someone die because I caused it! We'll be back as soon as we can." She spoke, motioning for Alice to drive.  
With slipping tires we left Forks, leaving a howling wolf, a desperate father and promises behind us.


	48. 47 -- Melody POV

After Alice had stolen a Porsche and we all changed into weather fitting clothes, because of the Italian sun, we were speeding through the country.  
"Why Alice? Why does Edward want to commit," I swallowed, " suicide?"  
Alice shook her head," that's our fault – "  
"everything seems to be your fault lately isn't it!?" I snapped, putting on sunglasses.  
"Can listen for a minute?" Alice asked incredulously, just in time dodging an oncoming car. I shut my mouth.  
"I forbid anyone of us to call Edward. But you know Rose…it was meant in a good way but turned out wrongly. She called and said you had died. Then she heard him howling in pain and a loud crash. We assume he'd thrown his phone or crushed it…"  
I was silent after she said this. I still didn't understand why he would let Aro rip him into pieces.  
"You still haven't told me why you were in LA?" Alice made it sound like a question, eyeing the bracelet with the initials.  
"No. and no, I don't have a boyfriend there," I answered her thought. I hesitated to tell her, "it's much more complicated." I sighed.  
"Then tell me? You can trust me right?" She pushed while I checked the rear view mirror for Bella. she was listening to music.  
"I'll explain when Bella sleeps. No one but us can know, understood Alice?" I demanded, staring straight ahead of me, seeing Alice nod through the corner of my eye. I wanted to be near Edward, but longing for Raven and Blaze's baby hugs as well. After we'd touched down in Italy after a long plane ride, my phone was being spammed with missed calls, messages and voice mails.  
The most were from Scarlett and Charlie.  
But for their safety I never replied. I was sure I'd be grounded for forever but it was worth it.

When I noticed Bella was asleep, her mind overwhelmed by a simple dream I just said the words.  
"I was pregnant."  
Alice had to struggle to keep driving straight when she heard. to say she was confused was an understatement.  
"But…that's impossible! We've only been gone for four months! And you were a virgin before we left! How..?" she rambled. I didn't replay.  
"So ehm…you ran away to hide and deliver the baby?" Alice guessed. I nodded, "doubled."  
"Doubled?"  
"Yeah, two babies. It's a twin." I said, a small smile playing around my lips as a tear leaked from my eye. Alice nodded still confused on how it could've been possible.  
"So that's where the initials stand for?"  
I nodded, "Yes. Raven and Blaze." I answered, a little uncomfortable. It wouldn't take long before she'd ask about the father. Alice fell silent as another vision appeared.

"The Volturi denied his requests! We have more time, but we still need to hurry. When the clockwork on the Palazzo hits one o'clock, the sun will stand on its highest.."  
"And then he'll bare the centuries old secret by standing in the sun…" I finished Alice's sentence. It seemed better, but it was still terrifying. We hadn't saved him yet.  
"I can't leave the car – you and Bella have to run for the tower, across the plaza. He has to see you, doesn't matter whom. When he sees you're both still alive, he'll stop." Alice informed me the strategies.  
As Bella roused from sleep and I filled her in on the plans, Alice pointed at the old city walls.  
"That's Volterra." She said, with some kind of haunting edge in her tinkling voice.  
"I know.." I whispered a soft pitch._ 'You've been there!?' _  
I nodded. '_Damn..there's a lot I don't know about you Swan..' _  
"you should be glad you don't," I whispered back darkly.  
At this point we'd reached the gates of the city and it seemed enormously crowded. I read from various minds that it was some celebration – the day that vampires were banned from Volterra. Those people would never realize they were living in the lion's cave.  
Alice stopped the car when we were in and Bella jumped out. "I'll run, you follow me soon alright?" she yelled already wrestling herself through the in red dressed humans. I also jumped out, my grey sneakers hitting the wobbly stone pavements. I was just about to follow Bella when Alice asked me the question I'd wanted her to wait with.

"Melody, who's the father of Raven and Blaze?" she asked with pleading eyes. And somehow, she knew.  
I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them and telling her.  
"Edward."  
Alice gasped, starting Porsche its engine again, "Melody run now! go after him!"  
I nodded, turned around and ran, ran as fast as humanly possible.  
At the point where Alice still saw me, I faced her and winked once, before getting invisible without any human noticing.  
And then it was time for takeoff.

When I'd reached a place close to the plaza, where Bella was searching the right way, I reappeared in the shadows, running up to her.  
She turned around, startled, "Come on! I know where it is, I asked for the way!" I yelled, tugging her with me. Bella followed me through the small passages and the thick crowds until we reached the plaza.  
There were humans everywhere, as we saw the vast clock tower at the end, with a gracious fountain in the middle. It was just as I remembered.  
The clockwork showed that it was one minute before one o'clock while Bella and I ran to the fountain, pushing humans away to squirm through the crowds. I realized the risk I was about to take – we might save Edward, but when the Volturi would recognize me, I wouldn't get a chance to go home.  
And my children couldn't lose their mommy no matter the costs.  
I thought of the best strategy when I got sight of Edward, standing in the doorway of the Palazzo dei Priori. My heart squeezed painfully before bouncing like a maniac. Bella had jumped and made her way through the fountain, while I slowed, in a battle with myself as the memories coursed through my mind. I was falling again, being chased by the hurt and cruelness of pain that halted my body from saving one of the most important things in my life.  
Bella reached him when the clockwork started to slam, announcing the time – our deadline, literally.  
And then I was haunted by Alice's first vision. The dead eyes.  
I stood up from the ground and ran again, while I saw Bella knocking him inside. The surprised expression on his face when he saw her, alive and well, burned me.

"Bella? I thought.." he mused, astonished when I ran closer, almost there.  
"No, Edward I'm not dead! Melody saved me, dragged me out of the water!" Bella explained to him as pushed him further inside to get away from the human attention.  
He was inside. The sun wouldn't hurt him anymore. Aro had no reason to kill him any longer.  
He was save, and with that realization I stopped running and walked towards them, my breathing uncontrollable from the rush of adrenaline.  
"Melody? Where is she? Is she alright?" He pleaded with Bella while I took the steps up, into the Palazzo.  
"Oh! She was right behind me…There!" Bella had loosened herself from Edward's embrace and pointed at me, as the sweat poured down my forehead.  
I could see him now, for real. No memory, no dream.  
He passed Bella and jogged towards me, pushing me against his cold, bare chest. I grabbed the hair in his neck and let out a huge sob.  
He was in my arms again. unharmed.

"Melody…God, I missed you!" he mumbled in my ears. I listened to my heart rate that slowed with each breath I took and every second he held me. I was incapable of uttering a word, overblown with emotion.  
"You can't imagine…how selfish I felt, how bad I felt.." he kept murmuring sweet words into my ear, softly kissing my cheek.  
"Thank God, you're alive. I couldn't imagine myself in a life without you…"

Then the doors opened and Alice stepped in, shaking her head. I stepped away from Edward who refused to lose hold of my hand, to give Alice space to reunite with her brother. Alice stepped forward and enclosed her arms around him.  
"If you EVER think to trick us like this, I'll gladly kill you myself!" she growled, pulling her arms away from him now. a small smile captured his lips.  
"I won't Alice, I'm sorry."

Then, I heard two minds, raging over the fact that they had to get Edward back to Aro. I panicked for a moment, but quickly remembered my plan.  
"Ehm…I'm going to wait by the car, okay?" I said, looking at Alice. She immediately got the message, shielding her thoughts from Edward. _'Get back in before the door closes!' _  
Edward and Bella gave me a weird look while Alice pushed me out of the door, just in time. I quickly faded and slipped through it again, standing next to Alice, completely invisible.

I saw Demitri and Felix walking up to us. Edward and Alice, pushed Bella behind them so she stood next to me.  
_'Oh, now I get it why she's outside. She could've warned us too you know!'_ her mind was scared and irritated at the same time.  
"Aro wants to see you back." Felix, the big burly one said. Edward shook his head.  
"Alright, Bella and Alice go, join the festival." Edward replied, looking in our direction.  
Demitri huffed a laugh, "No, the human will follow as well. Aro wants to know your theories in all this nonsense."  
We all tensed and followed the two Volturi vampires inside, through various corridors and doors. When we reached an elevator, I saw someone else that gave me shivers.  
Jane and Alec. The witch twin.  
Jane's baby face and blonde hair stood in stark contrast to her red eyes. I'd often met her in the past and was somehow glad for the faded memory from after the accident. Those were memories I gladly forgot.  
"Well, look at that! Weak vampires! This all because of that dessert you're tailing with you?" Jane's shrill voice echoed through the elevator where we were now standing in.  
N one replied, much to her dismay – she always got what she wanted. If not you'd be the victim to her 'pain smile'.  
After leaving the elevator we went through the two enormous doors that led to the room where Aro, Caius and Marcus sat in their thrones. When we entered, I took deep breaths to suppress the fear. Never had I been so close after two years ago.  
I started to widen my shield, my protection, but it didn't work. Only one person I guessed.  
I had to stop myself from growling when Aro clapped his hand and grinned. How I hated that asshole. More than imaginary possible.

"Edward! What a wonderful surprise! You brought Isabel-la!" he drawled, glee filling his red eyes. I unconsciously stepped closer to Bella – Edward and Alice were stronger.  
"Aro." Edward nodded politely at him, but the muscles in his back strained.  
After that Aro, Caius and Marcus started to get all difficult about what to do. In fact they just wanted Alice and Edward to join them.  
"Kill the girl Aro, she knows too much," Caius, the blonde and frustrated one said. Aro made a sad scowl. "I'd like to read Edward's mind first. I'm unbelievably curious about his reasons to get along with this human girl." Aro slimed, motioning for Edward to step closer and reaching his hand. the last thing I wanted was for Aro to find out everything – especially about our night together. I followed Edward, touching his back with my arms, shielding him just in time.  
Aro's hopeful expression faded quickly when he touched Edward's hand.  
"Remarkable…something here is blocking my gift. I can't see a thing, Edward." he muses, letting go of Edward's hand and fixating his eyes on Bella.  
"Marcus? Could you…read their relationships connection for me please?" Aro drawled further, walking around Edward and an unseen me.  
I stayed fixated on Edward, shielding him completely and making it extremely difficult for Marcus to see the bonds.  
_'There's something strained around the young Cullen, blocking me..'  
_

"I'm sorry, brother, but my abilities do not see anything else than three separate individuals." Marcus informed with an old, raspy voice. Aro's mind was starting to get extremely impatient with us. with me actually, even though he just didn't realize that.  
"I think Bella is our jammer here…" he mused, still with the fake friendly voice, "Jane? Can you find out if human Bella is immune for your powers as well?"  
_'No one, gets me in the way! And especially not a simple human teenager!' his mind raged. _  
Jane stepped forward, her red eyes focused on Bella. And when she started to tug the corners of her lips upwards, everything went really fast.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut, while Alice struggled to get away from Demetri's grasp. Edward jumped in front of Bella at the exact second Jane's smile reached its level.  
"Pain." She smiled widely, sending Edward the waves of cruelness. I watched, frozen how he sunk through his knees, fighting against the enormous amount of pain he was getting.  
I moved, falling to my knees on the ground and hugging his frame from behind him, laying my palms flat against his chest. I empowered him with everything I got, pushing the peace into his body while I endured the pain Jane was still trying to give him.  
I'd had my teeth clenched together as my mind screamed for anyone to kill me, to stop the cruelness. It felt as if I was being burned alive, ripped apart, limb by limb. As if I exploded, my veins bouncing erratically in my body.  
When Everyone realized Edward could stand up without any harm, Jane's smile turned into a scowl. My clinging arms around Edward's chest, loosened and I dropped to the ground, breathing harshly and fighting the tears.  
The pain was gone.

Thank the penguins.

"So what to do with you? Kill you all? That would be such a waste…Just the girl then? I can't ignore the laws, Cullens. She must die." Aro informed us, closing the distance between himself and Bella, while Felix faster than possible, took hold of Edward, pushing him to the ground.  
And I just stood there, once again debating – risking my life and that of my whole family or risking Bella's?  
None of them seemed fair. It was unfair.

I was about to reappear and rip Aro's head off ,when a vision hit me.

_The Cullen house. Everyone was there. Emmett, Rose, Jasper , Carlisle , Esmé, Alice, Edward, I and Charlie.  
Bella was on a hospital bed, closing her eyes. Alice stepped forward, taking Bella's neck in hands and bit down, before being dragged back by Carlisle and Edward. I saw myself, watching with an apologetic expression on my face as my half-sister changed into one of them. A vampire.  
_  
"WAIT!"Alice yelled suddenly, right in time. Aro focused on her, "Bella will be one of us! I've just seen it!"  
Aro passed Bella and reached for Alice's hand. he got access to the vision, watching in amazement on how detailed everything was.  
"I'm changing her myself, Aro." Alice added, seeking already for the next revelation in the future. Bella looked completely scared. She didn't want to become one – Jacob would hate her.  
"Alright! That's a deal! When we visit next, Isabella won't be a vampire anymore! Go home my young friends, greet Carlisle! We'll wait for the news!" He was amused and extremely happy with the result – no matter how, he would get Bella, Alice and Edward to belong to him someday.

Well, not if it was up to me!

We quickly left the throne room, hurrying through the corridors. I ran past  
Alice at my vampire speed, racing outside towards the yellow Porsche before reappearing. We were all safe.  
I waited for them to round the corner, acting as innocently as I could. When they came in sight, Alice looked at me meaningfully, _'you really have to tell me EVERYTHING. I'm deadly curious about all your awesome mysteries, Mells!' _  
I fought the urge to roll my eyes."Why did you guys take so long?" I asked, covering up my absence. Bella looked as if she might puke soon.

"The Volturi wanted to speak with us. We'll explain everything..later." Edward said, opening the door of the backseats. Alice quickly took hers after the steering wheel and Bella in the passenger seat.  
Edward waited for me to step inside with a soft expression in his face. I blushed warmly and averted my eyes.  
He settled next to me and buckled his seatbelt while Alice started the purring engine and left Volterra.

When we were on the road, I realized some things at once.  
First – Edward was here. Safe and sound.  
Second – he was still only wearing a pair of torn jeans and dirty sneakers.  
Third – I knew that there was _nothing_ underneath those jeans….and it was the first time we met after having had sex together.

Okay, awkward…

I blushed bright red when I thought about this, earning a curious look from the glorious, practically naked, man beside me.  
I glanced at him and quickly away again. the smile I got was not helping me either.  
Now all the direct danger was gone, I was already lusting after him! Maybe I still got pregnancy hormones…

I winced at the thought, and suddenly felt Edward's hand on my fire-red cheek. It startled me, looking at him wide-eyed.  
He gave me a puzzled look, "Are you okay? You seem a little heated? Do you need water or something?"  
I seemed heated? No kidding.

My ovaries were about to explode.

"Yeah?" I squeaked, my face scrunched up. Edward chuckled, dazzling me immediately again.

Oh sweet merci….we still had a ten hour flight to endure.

_HELP ME!  
_  
"Hey Edward, I got a shirt for you. It might get really weird if you walk around the airport like that." Alice said, rescuing my lady parts from snapping. Edward took the simple black V-neck tshirt and put it on. Even watching him put on a shirt was porn to me.  
The way his muscles stretched…and rippled…

I was truly ashamed with myself that I was practically eye-fucking the father of my innocent babies.  
YES! That would do the trick – Edward being a father might be a turn-off.  
But that got me thinking about him playing baseball with two five year olds. And that made him even sexier…  
I was so screwed.

During the whole drive I had to restrain myself from jumping on his lap and having my way with him, devouring his lips and tugging his hair practically out of the roots.  
Sometimes I'd caught him looking at me strangely before I blushed again and turned around.

But how ridiculous my lustful desires for him were at that moment – I was way too happy with just his presence, one meter away from me, that I could enjoy that for as long as it lasted. I missed him so much, craved him so much. And even if our night together had meant nothing special to him, I was euphoric. He was back in my life.

I stole a peek next to me, through my hair. Edward was biting his lower lip for some reason. And it looked hot…

It were going to be a very awkward ten hours.


	49. 48 -- Melody Swan

at the airport, Bella and Alice suggested they would buy our tickets back home. I just wanted to follow them when a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I stopped walking and slowly turned around, curious why he would want me to stay here with him. it was all still very unreal to me, that he was back. I felt as if there wouldn't be time enough left for us.  
What if they only got back temporarily? Maybe the Cullens would stay away and would Edward go on his own again.  
My head started to ache from the panic and fear.

I faced Edward wondering why he looked so sad. His eyes burned with an century old apology.  
We stared at each other like that for a while, as he kept holding my wrist, like he used to when everything was right. When we were just Edward and Melody, friends for as long as it lasted.  
And now, even though he wasn't aware of that, we were parents, friends with sexual benefits and kind of awkward.  
"What's wrong?" I asked, breaking the silence that started to get uncomfortable. Edward's eyes were now fixated on my bracelet as he turned my wrist to read the initials. When he gazed at me again, something flashed through the black orbs. I could guess what he might be thinking.  
"We need to talk." He simply stated, a tense edge in his musical voice. Even when his emotion was clear in the tones and sounds of his voice, it was beautiful as ever.  
I frowned. Where exactly did he want to talk about? ,"About what?"  
I squirmed with my wrist indicating him to let go, and he did. I nervously started to tug at the hemline of my t-shirt.  
"Everything." He said, shaking his head to clear the pain in his expression, "you need to know that it were all lies. The things I said…they weren't true." He choked. Fear tugged at my heart.  
What did he mean? What were lies? When he told me I was his tiny princess, it was a lie? Or when he whispered the hot words in my ears when we both lost our virginity to each other?  
Or were the promises of protection all lies?  
It left me in a mind war. I didn't get where he was referring to.  
"Wh – which…which words were lies?" I tried to understand. He quickly explained, now understanding I thought some different things.  
"When I left that night. That Carlisle was staying to young for his human age. That we needed to stay away from you and Bella. I feel horrible for having done all these things to you…" he said, the words getting a softer pitch nearing the end.  
It was a relief for me. he never had wanted to leave. But Edward was awfully stubborn when it came to our safety. He must've thought to be doing the right thing.  
"that night shouldn't have happened." He whispered, looking away from me.

And when I thought I could take an easy breath, he restricted my ability to do just that. And that pissed me off.  
"Oh right! Why not Edward? Maybe if you alarmed me about the meaninglessness of that evening BEFORE you laid your guilty hands on me, your wish would've been come true!" I snapped, at the verge of crying. I turned around, wanting to leave and search for Alice and Bella, but he was right behind me.  
"Melody that is not what I meant and you KNOW that!" he whisper-yelled, following me through the crowds of the Italian airport.  
"How can I know? We were friends, you had a relationship with my sister and then suddenly you – you know what? never mind." I argued back to him. his hand was back on my shoulder spinning me so my face was aligned to his.  
"Not never mind. we really need to talk. I need to tell you that I lov – "  
"Fine! We'll talk. But not here. We're at a crowded airport, Cullen." I groused back before he could finish whatever he was planning to say, and marching over to where Bella and Alice were standing at the desk.

I reached them, Edward on my heels, and Alice informed us about where we needed to go to get the right plane.  
Not much later we are settled in our seats and in the air – Me next to Alice and Bella next to Edward. I'd been ignoring him since the great mature 'talk' we had.  
During the long plane ride back, Alice bombarded me with questions about Raven and Blaze via her thoughts. She and I both made sure to shield them from Edward, so I could write down answers for her.  
_  
'Okay, so…wow I didn't realize you and Edward had a 'thing..' _  
I rolled my eyes and scribbled on the paper in my fantastic weird handwriting.  
**No need to realize – we didn't have a 'thing'. **  
Alice arched her perfectly trimmed eyebrow , _'Uhuh, as if I'm believing that. Anyway; two boys right?'_  
I nodded, smiling crookedly – I had two handsome sons, no offense to other mothers.  
**You better believe it, Pix. Are you done asking me all this? Can't you wait until I'm telling him?**  
I frowned, just as Alice did when she read my answer.  
_'You're going to tell him? So…if he likes it, you know,…then they'll belong to the family?'_  
I shrugged, even though a rush of warmth spread over my skin. If that would come true…  
**He deserves to know, Ali. And I think they will…if you're staying that is…?**  
After Alice had read my last scribble, she fumbled the paper and threw it in a sack. Then she smiled brightly and enveloped me in a hug, _'Hell yeah! And if the other's don't for what fucked up reason, I'll make sure Jazz will make them stay!'_

We had only two hours left. My hair was a complete mess from sleeping against Alice's shoulder.  
"So? How have you been?" I heard Edward ask Bella out of the sudden. Both Alice and me perked our ears to listen.  
"I've managed. I hated it in the beginning, but Jake helped me get over you." Bella answered in all honesty.  
"Oh? Well, that's great. You must be great friends then." Edward replied. I badly wanted to see his facial expression. He sounded strange. Was he hurt by it? he probably was – Bella was his girlfriend after all.  
"…ehm...we're having a relationship actually." Bella awkwardly said.  
"Wow! I didn't expect that…but congrats you know. I hope he makes you happier than I did." was Edward's yet again weird reply.  
"Thanks. And he indeed makes me happy."  
There was a moment of silence before Edward spoke up again.  
"Do you know about.."  
"Yeah, I found out."  
"Right, right. Be careful around young wolves though. You never know what might get wrong." Edward warned her wisely.  
"Says the vampire to the human." Bella added, giggling.

Now I didn't get it anymore! Edward was OKAY with Bella and Jake having a relationship? What kind of guy does that?  
…Maybe he's gay after all and happy there's no girl attached to him?  
I pondered on that for a minute, blushing when I recalled our intimate moments from months before.

Nuh-uh! Edward was definitely not gay!

But seriously, what guy is okay with his ex-girlfriend fooling around and hooking up with the enemy? Was that something normal in 1918 or something?

"Melody!"  
I was startled by Alice voice.  
"What?" I quipped looking around me and seeing the plane was empty.  
"We've touched down. Come on! We're home!"

I smiled while standing up – Yep we were home.

"…you get how DANGEROUS it was!?" Charlie was roaring at us for running away like that. Of course he knew the Cullens were vampires now, but that didn't make it any better for us.  
During the carried home from PA, I'd send and enormous text message to Adam, hoping he'd understand. Luckily they all did, but they were quite angry at me for doing all that while I had two babies to take care of.  
I felt a pang of guilt – Raz and Aze were only a two weeks old and I was already disappointing them by leaving and taking risky decisions. My heart leapt however, upon thinking I'd see them soon. Those circumstances however, might turn out not so great.  
I was planning on telling Edward everything. To start with the feelings he evoked on that, what seemed so long ago, first day.  
I'd planned with Alice that I would spend the night there so Edward and I could talk it all out. If Charlie would let me, that is.  
"…I understand your reasoning girls, I do. But I'm not going to let this slide. You'll both be grounded – kind off. no trips outside the house without my permission. If you do," and now his focus was laid on me since I could silently sneak out easily," there will be no outside trips at all!"  
Bella and I sighed and huffed. We were in the kitchen at this point already listening to Charlie's preach for a half an hour. Alice and Edward had dropped us of around dinner time.  
And Charlie went completely insane of course.

"Alright, give your old dad a hug. he needs it.." Charlie grumbled, relief evident in the sound of his familiar gruff voice. Bella and I stepped forward and leaned against his chest while he draped his large arms around us.  
"and promise me to never, ever, EVER do that to me again, alright?" He said sternly, giving us a friendly tap on the back before letting go.

We hang out on the couch with pizza, which tasted delicious after all these adventures, before Bella announced she was going to bed. She'd called Jacob earlier and to say he was mad was an understatement.  
"Dad?" I ask while Charlie was closing up and turning the lights of. He turned to me with a questioning look, motioning me to go on. "Is it okay if I spend the night at Alice's?"  
Charlie's first reaction was to say no – he wanted me miles away from Edward. I gave him a hurtful look and he relented.

"I suppose you're not just sleeping there hmm?"  
I shook my a but hesitatingly, "No, not really. We'll mostly talk, I guess."  
"You mean you talk to the bloodsucker guy?" Charlie deadpanned making me gasp.  
"DAD! Don't be so mean! And in case you never noticed – your children AND grandchildren are all bloodsuckers. So quit with the awful nickname." I spat angrily, a edge of disbelief in my voice.

"Sorry. But I'm serious Melodiana – only talking which means no touching, kissing and most definitely: no sex. Understood?" Charlie winced with each word that entertained me and Edward doing much other things than talking.

I was truly and utterly mortified.

"Holy penguins! Dad, you did not just say that!" I whisper-yelled, blushing like a firecracker.  
"I did…don't make me say that again please…" he whimpered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Poor man – little girls get older.

I promised Charlie to be on my best behavior, if I could…., and grabbed my overnight bag before locking the house and driving to the Cullen Estate.  
When I was halfway there, I dialed Scarlett's phone number. They had settled in their house in Seattle yesterday.

"Scarlett Bright speaking?"  
"Hey, Scar, it's Melody. Before you go crazy – I need you all to do a favor for me. You can get angry afterwards okay?" I spoke fast, not giving her the chance to interrupt me.  
"Fine." She said curtly.  
"I'm going to talk to Edward now. I'm telling him everything, but I'll promise to keep the family's secret if that makes it better for you. When I text you, I'd like you to come down to Forks, to our childhood home, and take the twin with you."  
There was silence for a while, while I drove through the centre of Forks.  
"Alright – Adam and I will be there. But please make sure you don't reveal anything. I know it seems unfair – you know his secret, he doesn't know yours, but you guessed. It just theirs as our rule that we're not allowed to tell what we are. The can guess Melody, more can't we give."  
I nodded, even though she couldn't see that over the phone of course.  
"Deal. Wait for my text message." I said before hanging up.

How in the damn galaxy, was I going to tell Edward everything, without being allowed to tell him exactly that – the major part?

I arrived at the Cullen Estate, feeling a chill run down my spine. The last time I'd been here ended up changing my life forever. At the moment I turned off the engine of my car, Alice appeared in the doorway of the vast front door and waved. I got out and waved back, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.  
I walked up to and smiled awkwardly at her. Alice gave me reassuring smile back. She indicated with a nod of her head we'd get inside – the cold March air wasn't to be equalized with those from LA.  
I followed my best friend inside and sat down in the kitchen as she prepared me tea. When we passed the living room before reaching the kitchen, I'd noticed everything was almost back to normal again.  
The only things missing where the family members that belonged here. It kind of saddened me, that the picture that had hung proudly on the wall, were gone. I prayed Esmé would put them back as soon as she could.

"Strawberry tea, right?" Alice asked, waking me from my inner musing and making me nod in answer "Do you like a chocolate cookie with that?"  
I frowned, "I'd love too, but haven't they passed the expiry date?"  
Alice shrugged, "No, I bought them for you while Charlie was bellowing his ass off at you guys…"  
I winced. She'd probably seen it beforehand.

"When are the others expected to be back here?" I asked, taking a bite from the cookie Alice gave me.  
"I guess with dawn, around six? I'll get a vision soon enough when they're close." She answered, taking a seat next to me. we stayed silent during the time that I sipped at the steaming cup of strawberry smelling tea, until Alice's patience was gone.

"Ok, you have to tell me about the whole 'I was pregnant' thing!" she practically bounced, curiosity winning from the silent seeker. I sighed deeply.  
"Everything? I don't think you want that…"  
"Well, maybe not the dirty details, but come on! give me a little credit! I mean, how in the world did you end up having sex with my brother? How did it happen?" she asked, her voice squeaking like those irritating pets toys.

"God, quit it! Never had biology Alice? like; man _plus_ woman _makes_ babies?" I stated matter of factly, but not able to hide my blush by talking about this.  
"That's not what I meant, but how is it even possible? Edward's a vampire."  
"Yep, that's true, but you also know I'm not completely human myself. But anyway, you want to know why?" I thought it'd be better to just get it over with. She already knew what we'd done and what came out of that. Know she just wanted to know why I let it happen.  
Alice's nod indicated me to move on.

"Well, It wasn't just sex, not for me that is…" I started, making Alice gasp and listen closer. I nervously twirled with the teaspoon across the table top.  
"From the very first day…I felt attracted to him. I had feelings raging and swirling all through my body, but never realized what they meant. At least not then. But then that night in Port Angeles, when he saved me and Bella from those drunk rapists…I realized." I mused, staring ahead of me and seeing flashes of memories before my eyes.

"Ever since then it was very hard on me to shake those feelings, especially since he seemed to be happy with Bella. I couldn't interfere in that. But when you all left…I broke Ali. And Edward broke my heart, piece by tiny, shattered piece. It still confuses me why he let it happen that night. He could've stopped it if he wanted to. Maybe I should have, but it felt like the best option I could get."

Alice thought about that, yet shielding her thoughts from me. I waited until she was ready t speak again. she suddenly smiled wickedly, grinning from ear to ear and using her squealing voice.  
"Aw! You were in love with Edward and he didn't even know! I knew it!"  
I giggled along with her, brushing away the tears that had fallen. "How did you knew?"

"well I guessed. Sometimes you acted so hurt by his actions. Or the way you look at him when he's not looking! No wonder you weren't able to stay away from him – I sometimes wondered what kind of things you eat. I mean, maybe your mysterious kind eats vampires! How should I know!" she chuckled and I barked a laugh at het vampire eater comment. And they claimed I had a weird fantasy. Blame it on the mafia pasta restaurant movie…

"Wow….what a love story." Alice stated, acting as if she stared dreamily up high, blinking with her eyelashes.  
"I'm not sure if that…how do I know his reasoning? Maybe he just…ah hell I don't know!" I wailed frustratingly, swinging with my arms to empathize.

"I know why. And I'm planning to tell you every single thing that belongs to it."  
When I heard the male voice that sounded like buttery velvet, I gasped, twirling around to see Edward himself standing in the doorway.

I swallowed thickly. This was the literally moment of truth.  
"Let's go somewhere private?" he suggested, giving Alice a nasty glare. As if there was privacy at all in this house. I nodded anyway and followed him, with sweating hand palms, praying I wouldn't faint. I followed Edward up the stairs not realizing where we were headed, until he opened the door.

"No." I said, my voice steady. I didn't want to be in his room – it was left the same as it was when he left me that night. And it would get too much upon me to face that reality so soon.  
" The memories hurt. I don't want to go there…yet." I clarified. Edward looked somewhat offended by my reaction, but quickly closed the door behind him and turns in the direction of Alice and Jasper's room. I once again followed him inside and took seat on the large bed. Edward kept standing close to it, walking a few steps to and fro.

The awkward silence filled the purple colored room, making me anxious for whatever outcome might be the end of the conversation ahead of us.  
"I heard you telling Alice you were in love with me. I already was confused, but now I'm at a complete loss." Edward started, facing me, his eyes a freshly golden from the recent hunt, "do you want to tell me? your side of the story?"  
I nodded, taking deep breaths.

"Well, you now know that I'm in love with you." I started, uncomfortably and staring straight ahead while he still stood at the same spot, his eyes on me.  
"But you should know…that I've felt like that from the very beginning. But I didn't recognize it at first." I mused, lost in a year earlier. I faced him then, saw how his eyes were fixated on mine with an enormous frown in his forehead.  
"And then, that night when you had followed Bella and me to PA… that moment when you rounded the corner, I suddenly understood my feelings." I went on.  
Edward stepped closer to me before slowly sitting down on the bed next to where I sat. he looked at my hands and then into my eyes with that smoldering look.

"What were your feelings for me than?"  
I swallowed thickly, feeling the bile rise, squeezing my throat. I had felt it then, had kept on feeling it while he was gone and still felt it in that precise moment.

"Love…" I choked in a breathy whisper, averting my eyes as soon as I uttered the short, meaningful word. It was hard for me to fight the tears this time. I'd said it. I had said that I was in love with him, having loved ever since then.

And how bad I wished to be able to read his mind right now, to know how he felt about my admissions. The silence made me panic more with every second. I was already waiting for a harsh laugh or snide comments on how ridiculous my teenage hormones were.


	50. 49 -- Melody Swan

But then, I felt Edward's hand slide from my shoulder to my back, until it stop around my waist. On top of my head I felt his lips brush in a butterfly's kiss. After that he extended his index finger to tilt up my head at my chin, making me look into his eyes, searching his angelic face for any crude elements there.  
"I had that too, you know." He murmured, his voice like crushed velvet, melting me. I saw the sincerity in his eyes. I heard and felt my heart pick up its pace, beating fiercely against my ribs.  
"The minute I saw your tiny, shy frame, something made me want to look longer. I wasn't sure if it were your red blazing cheeks or those dark big doe eyes…" he whispered, brushing away a cold tear that had fallen down my cheek. The corner of his mouth tugged upwards.  
"But I did know you were special, in whatever way. I found out only minutes later when I wasn't able to read your mind. It frustrated the hell out of me, as you know. " the fierce frustration sparked his golden eyes, "And then I saw you almost getting hit by that van… I was out of my mind, getting to you without thinking of the consequences. It was so strange after that. I found out I liked it when you got angry, irritated or feisty at me. you get this gleam in your eyes." He chuckled softly, grinning wide for a moment before his face fell suddenly and I felt him clench his fist at my side.  
"I got to talk with Bella too…her interest in me was obvious, as was her irritation. Her irritation with me at some points are still confusing to me though. But as I said, we got to talking. At one time, when she was talking about the fact that she never had a boyfriend before, I asked if you did. I was really curious and that side of me won from the rational, smart one. I felt like a true seventeen year old, secretly asking someone else if you were free to make a move on." Edward shook his while admitting it, but the coldness in his eyes and the harsh huff indicated there was something bad to come. I was listening breathlessly to his admissions though. He was telling me he'd liked me from the very beginning, just like I did with him. I had to prevent myself from getting cryptic and telling Edward that Bella had much more boyfriends in the past than Lauren Mallory did. and that explained a lot.  
"But then she told me that you were already in a relationship with a guy from La Push. I felt my dead heart break and from then I knew my interest in you wasn't just because you were so different. it was much more than that." He looked away as I gasped for air upon what he just said.  
The next time I would see Bella, she'd probably need a pack of hairy wolves around to protect her filthy human being.  
"I was outraged when I hunted after that. The idea of you becoming and belonging to our enemy was terrible to me. I was selfish, wanting you for me and me alone. I envisioned you with golden eyes, red eyes even. I daydreamed about how it would be if you were already like me, or when I was human like you…those were the best times I had while you were with Jacob Black." He choked, spitting out Jacob's name as if vomiting it. I wanted nothing more than to actually do that.  
"Sometimes I refused to believe her, but when I came across Jacob in town, I'd see you in his mind. I saw how he kissed you, or touched your body.." Edward was growling by now, his face scrunched up in anger, his sharp and deathly teeth bared.  
"And then that night, after your birthday… I needed to leave. I was losing the strength to stay away from you. But when I saw you there my last string of power snapped. Every rational thought flew out of the window. I must admit that I never expected you to let it happen. you had a boyfriend after all." He explained further, frowning deeply as the memories overtook his mind.  
"And Melody, I want to apologize for that. For acting the way I did. I don't regret it though. I've always loved you, and I'll always will in the future." He said, the fire in his eyes reaching into my very soul. I vaguely nodded, dazzled by what he told me.  
_He loved me._

In an attempt to hide my happy tears, I let my head fall upon his chest, feeling his arms encircle my waist automatically. We sat there for a while, just holding each other tightly. I was completely satisfied with where I was right now, but there were still a few things I wanted to make clear and out in the open.  
"Edward did you..love Bella?"  
I felt him sigh, felt the gush of air whispering through my hair, "I do, in a way. But different. more like a sister I think. I stayed with her because she was closest to you. " He said, frowning as I looked at him.  
"Can I ask in return then, if you loved Jacob Black?"  
I sat upright, sighing deeply myself. I was genuinely mad at Bella for pulling of something like this.  
"No. And believe me when I say that I've never had anything more with Jacob than a friendship. I don't even feel attracted to him in the slightest." I said, seeing Edward's eyes widen and looking straight at me.  
"What do you mean? Melody I saw it in his mind…he can't possibly just imagine that – the images were to sharp for that and –"  
"Edward you were my first in everything. The first time I was attracted to a man, the first to fall in love with, the first to dream about and have the strangest imaginations," I told him, pleading with my eyes for him to believe me. He still seemed confused but surprised all the same because of what I said.

"..You were my first kiss, the first to make me think I'm beautiful, the first man I shared my body with.."  
I looked at him while he took my breath away every time his beautiful eyes would flicker with an certain degree of intensity. His face moved closer to me as the desire that was clear in his eyes seemed to sink to a softer pitch.  
"Edward, I think Bella wanted to deceive you. We're quite the look-a-likes from one another. It's easy for her to make you think it was me. but I assure you, baby, that you'll be the first and the last man I fell in love with. You stole my heart Edward Cullen."  
Edward's eyes widened again when I mentioned Bella's cheating behavior. "That lying…" he bellowed, almost flying away from me and the bed, standing at the doorway with balled fists. He felt betrayed and that was normal in this case. Suddenly he seemed to realize what I'd said after, flashing back next me within a millisecond and taking my face in his hands.

"So,..I stole your heart didn't I, Miss Swan?" he whispered, somewhat cocky. I bit my lip, blushing again of the absurdness of this whole situation. We've been fighting for our love from both sides. We've wanted each other from the very beginning, struggling to find a way to enjoy each other's presence. The connection of our souls must have been there in some way, at that time.  
"I'm not giving it back to you, you know. You've got mine, so it seems fair I have yours." He whispered in my ear, making the hairs in my neck get up from the thrill.  
"Then don't. Just stay with me, Edward." I whispered back, fisting a handful of his wild, bronze hair, that made me think of my youngest son so much. Edward closed the last bit of distance between us, our noses touching, breathing in each other's essence.  
"I will. I'll only leave when you order me to…"  
And then, after months of struggles, grief and loneliness, Edward's cold lips pressed against mine in a passionate kiss. A kiss true lovers would share.  
The feel of his soft, polished lips against my own after all this time was magical. I pushed him closer to me, tugging at his hair, making him groan because of the feelings. When his tongue traced my lower lip agonizingly slow but giving me shivers, I opened my mouth a little more, making him deepen the kiss by slipping his cold tongue inside my mouth, fighting with mine for dominance. I felt his hands move to my hips, ensnaring his fingers around it and squeezing, but not too harsh. Following, my hand moved down, slipping under the collar of his shirt, feeling the strong muscles I'd felt so many nights before, when the rippled with pleasure. I wasn't able to stop the soft whimper that came out of my throat only by thinking back and still feeling his tongue caressing my lips. His hand moved higher then, cupping my breast from aside. I felt his icy touch right through the double layer of fabric, causing my peaks to harden. His thumb brushed over the pebbled bud making me moan, a high, soft sound.

My thoughts, desires and body were getting out of control again and I needed to stop it, before there were no rational thoughts left. I couldn't get this any further before he knew about our babies.  
With much reluctance, I pressed against his chest, tugging my face and lips away from his. He sensed what I wanted and stopped abruptly. His eyes opened and searched for any damage.  
"No, no Edward, I'm fine. I just think we should…take things slowly. Like much more slowly than we did the last time…" I reasoned, getting even redder than I was from our quite heated kissing-session. The expression in his eyes softened, before he let go of my waist, helping my tugging my shirt down, which had been sitting half over my bra without me noticing. I saw him suddenly eyeing the scars and large tattoo there, something he never did before. He tugged my shirt back up again, feeling the sensitive skin with his fingers. I saw him get furious, heard him growl like a real vampire.  
But he'd seen them before…he must have…

"Melody how did you get all those scars…Who did this to you!?" he roared, in a low dark pitch. I choked on my air and started shaking my head and pushing his hand away.  
"Don't tell me you haven't seen those when we…you know…?"  
He shook his head roughly, " I did, but I thought I was imagining it. I thought I was doing that to you myself because I knew I was hurting you. But they are real. Deadly real. What happened to you?" he whispered now, anguished by the sight of them. The angry lightning scars.

I wanted to tell him the whole story – my past, my being and my babies. But I promised Scarlett and Adam that I wouldn't.  
I forced Edward to look at me with my hands on his face, pleading with my eyes, "I understand you want to know…but I can't talk about that. Can we please talk about this later?"  
I could see he wasn't happy with it, but I wasn't lying. I didn't want to tell him anything about the accident. I never had, not even to Charlie. I never let out a word about how my mother tried to kill me and almost succeeded. It were Denim, Faith and Alana who explained the situation to my siblings. And if Edward would hear it from me, my emotions would probably get out of hand.  
And of course I had something else to tell him.

"I understand, kind off. And you're right – we've been through quite some things the last thirty-six hours. So I'm not going to press you, but promise me that you'll tell me one day. When you're ready." Edward said sternly, the pain evident in his golden eyes. We were still again, ;lying on our backs on Alice's bed, legs dangling over the edge.  
"Tell me though – how come you've got all these tattoos? How many do you have?" he suddenly asked, amused.  
"I have five tattoos. One beneath my right arm, my left hipbone, my left wrist, covering my scars and on my left breast, above my heart." I explained. Edward listened carefully, curiosity shining in his eyes.  
"My first tattoo was the one on my hipbone. It's the exact symbol of my name – a treble clef for 'Melody' and it looks like a Swan. The second one I got was the 'Fast as Lightning' tattoo. "  
"Why that sentence? It has a reason right?" Edward asked, interrupting me. I had taken it because it was the very truth – I was faster than lightning.  
"I'm kind of mesmerized by lightning and things that are fast." I lied, shrugging. I still hated lying, but someday that would be over. I saw Edward nod next to me, "next."  
I chuckled at his monotone voice, "then I got the huge on that covers my scars. I was terrified when I saw them, so my brother suggested that I should make an art of it. like that It would be easier for me to deal with, which was true. It are mostly swirls and gracious words. There's standing 'Forever is only the beginning' for example, which is my favorite in the whole tattoo." I told him, not able to ignore the squeeze of fear at my heart. I saw he wanted to ask me about what happened again, but he closed his mouth again, waiting for me to continue on the lasts two.  
"on my wrist is a small lightning tattoo. You know like harry potter. I got it together with my cousins before I came to live here in Forks. We kind of share the lightning thing. The one on my breast is an infinity sign – my sisters wanted something special for us together so we thought this would fit." I finished explaining, curious about his reaction.  
"That's a whole history. I never expected it though."  
I frowned, "You hate them? I mean, you're kind of old-fashioned, so it seems logical that you – "  
Edward's hand lay across from my mouth, silencing me. I fought the urge to stick out my tongue and lick so he would let go, something I did with my brother when he silenced me like that. He was disgusted with it but let me go right after I'd licked over his hand.  
"I don't hate them. I think they're cool." He simply stated.

After that we rested, well I rested, he watched as I did. Edward let me sleep for a few hours before waking me at dawn. I yawned loudly, squeezing my eyes shut from the tiredness. I rolled over to my side to face Edward, who was frowning deeply.  
"What? Edward what's wrong?"  
"Nothing, my love. Let's go down stairs. The others are almost here." He said, brushing of the subject and standing up quickly. I followed his actions a little confused by his behavior. But maybe he was just nervous upon re-meeting with his family. I knew I was.

When we got downstairs, Alice was around me immediately.  
"Are you guys okay?" she asked, looking form Edward to me and back. We both nodded smiling a little. I was positive she already knew. I hope she didn't mind our canoodling session on her bed…  
"They're almost here! I'm so happy I can see Jazz again! I missed his blonde curly head so much!" Alice was bouncing around the room again, earning an eye roll from me. when I heard the gravel clattering, I pulled out my phone to send Scarlett the message she'd been waiting for.  
**  
MHMSwan: Cullens are here within seconds. I'll see you within the hour. XO**

Then I waited anxiously for the Cullens to get inside the house. I gave them space to go to their own family members first of course, since Alice and Edward were standing a bit in front of me. I heard the ticking of the clock, as the time went by. I was a little startled by the slamming door, but hearing the booming voice of the big burly bear, I couldn't help but grin.

"YO! PIXIE!? EMOWARD!? EMMETT'S HOME BABY!" the bouldering voice came from the hall. I giggled softly while I saw Edward and Alice roll their eyes at the names.

When I saw Emmett appear in the living room, I breathed a sigh of relief. They were home. And there were going to stay.  
Emmet ran up to Edward, grabbing him uphigh by his upper arms with a genuinely mad expression on his face, "You asshole! Don't ever to that shit to me alright? I was freaking out when I heard you were taunting the Aro guy and – "  
His eyes were shooting in various directions when they stopped at me. I waved sheepishly at him. Emmett's best dimpled smile sprawled across his face before he literally dropped Edward to the ground and running up to me.

"PIGMY! You're alive!" that second I was stuck in a big bear hug, gasping for air. I swayed with my arms and legs, struggling to get out.  
"Emmett..!" I squeaked ,"…I need air!"  
He immediately set me down, carefully as if I was a fragile doll. He grinned at me.  
"Ha! I missed you! You're still as awesome as before!"

"Alright Em! Give us a chance to reunite with smelly-melly over there too, will you?"  
Rose's tinkling voice echoed through the room, making me giggle. She came to stand next to her hyperactive husband, giving me a hug also.  
"believe it or not, I kind of missed you." She let me go, guilt written in her eyes, "And I'm sorry. If I hadn't called Edward like that, nothing would have gotten hectic."  
I gave her a apologetic smile back, "It's okay Rose. We're all fine now."  
The next to see me was Jasper. He didn't dare to come closer to me and I knew why.

"Jazz, it's okay. I've already forgiven you. I already did right after what happened." I whispered, walking to him myself and wrapping my arms around his waist. It was then that I realized he was quite tall.  
"Thank you, Melody. Now I only need to forgive myself. But I'll do my best and try not to kill, deal?" he offered. I chuckled, letting go of him and nodded. "absolutely."

I heard more commotion from out of the hall. It were Carlisle and Esmé, tugging a few suitcases through the a tad too small passage.

"MELODY!" Esmé squealed when she caught sight of me. completely ignoring everyone else, she rushed to me and wrapped me in her motherly arms. I had to admit she felt like a mom to me. a real mother.  
_'Oh thank you god, for giving me my baby girl back! I missed her so terribly much!'_I honestly wanted to cry. Being a mother myself now, made me understand those feelings much better. I was truly touched by Esmé's claim on me.  
In her eyes, I was her daughter too. And that felt right.

"Oh sweetie! You must be so tired! And hungry! Let me get you something to eat!" Esmé rushed, touching my face with her cold hands as if it was the most delicate thing existing.  
So while the others, except for Edward who wouldn't leave my side and Carlisle, went to unpack their stuff and settle back in, Esmé prepared some very early breakfast for me.  
When she was ready with cooking my waffles, I sat down on a stool in the kitchen, next to Carlisle and Edward who were chatting about what had happened in Volterra.

"He wants me and Alice to join them, Dad. We promised to make a vampire of Bella, but I don't think we want that." Edward bitterly exclaimed. I knew exactly why – Bella had become one of his last favorite persons on earth.  
"Well, let's make sure that won't happen. And if your Bella wants to become like us, that's her choice to make and – "  
"she's is not mine. never will be." Edward growled, staring daggers at his father who looked around confusingly, while Esmé set down a plate in front of me. I silently started to eat as The others joined us in the kitchen, sitting in their own chairs and curious about the conversation going on.

"Bella lied. About everything. She claimed that Melody had a relationship with Jacob Black, which is untrue, told me she loved me dearly, which is even more untrue and there are much more lies."  
I huffed," She only wanted to be the first to get into your pants to impress Lauren and Jessica. She didn't love you. It was all a façade." I remarked, stuffing a piece of warm waffle in my mouth and chewing.

"Oh my God! I KNEW she was a fake! I told you so!" Rosalie suddenly yelled, high-fiving Alice, who knew even more. Edward and the others were just surprised.

"Well," Edward started, winking at me, "Bad for Bella that will never happen in the future."  
I blushed a bright red, trying to avoid the curious glances. I prayed they weren't sensing something going on between us. badly enough, I saw Jasper grinning and shaking his head. He definitely knew something as up.

"So Melody," Carlisle suddenly changed the subject, " How's your health been? I hope you haven't paid much visits to the hospital?"  
I swallowed thickly. Fucking penguins.  
"Oh, ehm…well I've been worse in the past, " I saw Edward's eyes flash with intuition, "I've only visited the pharmacist here and eh…after that I went to LA. I've only been here for a month after you left actually.."  
Minds rattled in confusion. Which was logical of course.  
"Why did you go back to LA? Was it that bad to stay here with Charlie and Bella?" Emmett asked, looking serious for once.  
"It was bad….really bad. I looked like a walking skeleton, but that's not why I left…I uh…" I was stammering to find words and drag out the conversation, when suddenly my phone vibrated. I glanced around tentatively and pulled it out to read it.  
**  
SMSBright: Hi! We're just turning into that gravel road to the Estate. Hope you're ready, sis. You'll have your babies back in your arms soon enough! X Scar, Adam, Dad, Raz and Aze**

I swallowed again. my babies – I missed them so much!

I stood up, clearing my throat and trying to get the right amount of courage. Everyone stared at me weirdly while I stood there.  
"Okay, so ehm…there indeed is a big reason why I went back to LA. And it's quite a complicated story. but I am going to tell you... It might be a little shocking so maybe the living room is a bit more…comfortable to speak bout this?" I suggested, taking the lead to the living room. Again with the whirling minds, they all followed. At once, Edward grabbed my arm gently, "Are you okay? What's going on, baby?"  
I avoided the eye contact, "Edward I'm just really nervous. But I'm asking you to please, please be open minded in this! You can't freak out okay?"  
We shared a long stare before he nodded and sat down next to Emmett who was smirking about our little display there.

"Okay, so I invited a few people to help me out here…" I started, hearing the car come to a halt outside in that moment. The Cullens, all faced the way to the hall curiously.  
"Just like I just asked Edward – please do not freak out or anything! There are enough explanations. There is no reason for panic I assure you." I said, eyeing them all and glancing at Edward a bit longer who was awfully tensed up. then, the door opened and Charlie stepped in, shrugging of his coat and greeting them all.  
"Good evening Charlie. It's good to see you again." Carlisle solemnly said, but meaning it truly – he'd saw Charlie as a real close friend. However, my dad was a little skeptic. Especially because it was the first time he was around them, knowing about their nature.  
"Yeah, well. It was about time wasn't it?" he said cynically. I rolled my eyes and gave him a glare. ,'What?'  
No one replied, while the guilt was evident in the atmosphere.  
"Dad, don't be so cruel – just tell your story." I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Ok, what you want." He gruffly said. "Where should I begin? Ah, right. I found out about what you all are. And it's weird to me, but I'm trying to get used to that, my vampire friends." He started. I winced and slapped my hand for my eyes. Sometimes my dad was just as clumsy as I was – only his problem had to do with hope he could say things so awfully stupid.  
There was an audible gasp in the room. As they all directly stared at me. I put my hands up in surrender, "don't blame me – I didn't tell him."  
"alright, Charlie you know now. and we're sorry for what we are, but it is the way it is. But tell me, how did you find out?" Carlisle asked friendly.  
"Great question Carlisle. The answer though, goes back for over twenty-six years earlier, though."  
And now, there was no turning back in this.

I stood anxiously next to my thirty-eight year old father, who started to explain how everything started over only 20 years prior. Off course, the Cullens weren't yet aware of Scarlett's fast growth from that time.

"When I was about seventeen, I had a job at a café. So I was young, smooth skinned and moustache less… I was handsome – keep it at that." Charlie said making me roll my eyes and the vampires chuckle. They absolutely no clue where the hell this was heading. Apart from Alice off course.  
"anyway – at one day, a beautiful young lady stopped by, asking for a Latte Macchiato. When I saw her, I was completely mesmerized by her pale beauty. Her name was Fiorenza Terra," he explained. I swallowed, feeling a rush of hatred and aggressiveness through my body, keeping it down by tensing my muscles and snapping my teeth together. The Cullens gazed at me curiously, but I ignored it. Charlie's sideways glance was to make sure I was okay. I gazed back, telling him with my eyes that I would just endure it.

"We fell in love from that day on. I felt euphoric when I was around her. When we found out she was pregnant from my child, it was kind of shocking to both of us, but soon we were happy enough about it. After the oldest, we got three more children together. " he said. Is was kind of vague, but he wanted to drag out the big secret a little longer so the vamps wouldn't freak.

"But there is something really important that you should know."  
I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling more nervous with every exhale of a breath I took.  
"When I met her I wasn't just mesmerized by her pale skin. It were her big golden eyes that counted me in for a lifetime rollercoaster."  
A few gasps and surprised stares were being exchanged when he mentioned Fiorenza's eye color. An eye color humans didn't have.  
"When Fiorenza found out she was pregnant, it took only six months for our daughter to be fully grown as a baby. Scarlett Marie is my oldest daughter. I'm not sure if Melody ever mentioned the fact that she has siblings, but that's clear now."  
"But how can a child be a healthy enough baby after a six-months pregnancy?" Esmé asked, her voice a little higher because of the questioning tone. I saw Charlie sigh a little and I did the same.  
"Like I said – Fiorenza was different than other girls back then. Another remarkable thing, is Scarlett's age. She was born only twenty years ago, but her developments and growth equalize that of a twenty-five year old woman. When she was a toddler, she grew very fast."

"That's impossible…." Jasper breathed, staring at me. Alice, who sat next to her mate smiled at me then before explaining Jasper, "Well, we all know now that we're also far from possible so let's give other impossibilities a chance too, okay?"  
"But how? how is it even possible?" Edward asked, a little layer of frustration easy enough to hear. I didn't dare to look at him, knowing what Charlie would say next. I didn't want to see the look on his face.

"Before Fiorenza announced her pregnancy to me, I found out she was not completely human. She was even more different than I had expected."

All eyes were set on me, as I still stood silently next to my completely human father. This was uncharted territory here – they were not supposed to know the whole truth; just the above laying layers.  
"If she was not human, what is she then? What does that make your children?" Rosalie piped up, staring darkly at me. she had a strong love for humanity and everything that disturbed that, was wrong in her eyes.

"That's not my story to tell. I'm not even sure myself to be honest. I could tell you, Melody or Scarlett could tell you, but my children all decided with each other to let that part of their lives out of the spotlight. And I, as their father, respect their wishes. So there's no answering that question."  
I smiled sadly, staring at the ground, thanking Charlie in my mind for doing this exactly as we wish. I wanted to tell it, but rethinking it – it would take some time for Edward to get used to the idea of me being his almost equal species. I'd seen how vile he was against Bella becoming a vampire – he shared Rosalie's love for humanity.

It was a complete chaos of minds shouting, debating and being all astonished by the revelations. But only Alice and Carlisle's minds were silent to me. so immediately silent to Edward.  
"Alright, so…all we know is that Melody and her siblings are not human? But I don't get the exact point, I mean, I'm expecting more of a story since your suddenly telling this to us." Jasper remarked, trying to calm the others around him who were vibrating with curiosity and restlessness.

"That's true. My dad told you all this for a reason. It's partly because it seemed fair to me – I know your nature, so giving you a part of mine, without disrespecting my sister's rule was the best solution. But yes, there is much more and I want you to meet my family. There not all here, but we can tell you all." I spoke up with a dry throat. I was relieved that they now knew I was not like Bella was. I just hoped it didn't break the relationships I'd built with Rosalie as my sister and Edward as my…my..  
Fuck what is Edward to me?  
I was a little struck by that, not having the chance to think about it further when Carlisle spoke.  
"We're very curious about them Charlie. I'm sure we all are."

"Okay, so like I told you my oldest daughter, Scarlett Marie, is twenty-five. She married when she turned twenty with Adam Bright. Then I got a son, Nathan Charles and he's twenty-three and he married to Layla Johnson also when he was twenty. Then I got another girl, Skye Helena. She's twenty and – "  
"she's already twenty-one dad." I said giggling a little, still averting my eyes from Edward's.  
"Oh right. Well she married to Chris Johnson two years ago. Oh, and Christopher is Layla's twin brother. And you all know Bella and Melody of course. " he finished.

"I'd be so happy to meet them once!" Esmé cheered clasping her hands together.  
"Well you already met them right? Last summer when I was at the hospital?" I said, confused suddenly.  
"Eh..no? well maybe we did but didn't know that were your siblings…" Alice stated, shrugging.  
A abrupt knock on the front door made everyone look aside. Carlisle stood up to open it and sighed in relief when I heard it were just Scarlett and Adam.

"Look who we've got here!" Carlisle exclaimed suddenly, returning to the living room where we all sat laughing whole heartedly.  
Then I remembered that he and Adam were friends.

At once I was pulled into warm arms. I smiled nervously, swinging my arms around Scarlett's waist.  
"Hey Mells." She said, her voice working as a soothing manner on my nerves. Scarlett was someone who radiated calmness. Well, next to Jasper of course…  
"Hey Scar…" I whispered back as she stroked my back reassuringly. When she let me go I saw Carlisle and Adam shake hands and hug each other in that 'dudes' way. The pat on the back and such.  
"Wow, Carlisle, long time no see!" Adam exclaimed as they both chuckled.  
"Well indeed Adam. It's great to meet with you again!"

Another round of confusion, which seemed to be the highlight emotion of the way too early morning, rolled through the room.  
"Carlisle, you know him?" Emmett asked, making Carlisle nod.  
"We studied together once."

Everyone began chatting then all a little hyperactive. Charlie was hugging Scarlett, having missed her too. When she let go of him, it was time for the true business….

"Good morning…I understand this all might be enormously strange to all of you, but we'd like to tell you something more about us. Things have…happened a few months ago and they need to be cleared up." Scarlett started, squeezing my hand and smiling, _'you can do this,'_ she thought.  
"Charlie told you all about us four – Me, Nate, Skye and Melly over here, and now we have another admission to make. As you may have noticed, my husband and Carlisle know each other. And, yes they studied together, but it's useful to know that was a little over a hundred years ago."  
Then all eyes shot to Adam and the minds noticed the golden eye color.  
"That's correct. Carlisle taught me how to deal with the diet so I could become what I always wanted too – a doctor.  
"so you married a vampire? Jesus, how'd you manage that? He much stronger than you are!" Rosalie bashed, getting slightly curious about all this after all.  
Scarlett smiled lovingly at Adam, "don't people always say that 'love conquers all'?"  
Chuckles and giggles rang through my sensitive ears. I still didn't dare to face Edward, afraid of his reaction.  
"Nathan and Skye married one too. Chris and Layla are a twin and both vampires from Boston. For real, they're both forty-six instead of twenty-three years old. Our kind mates with vampires, we guess." Scarlett explained further. I felt warmth blooming in my face. I just couldn't help but think about sex with Edward when the word 'mating' was mentioned.

"wow…and here I thought we were weird. You're even weirder! I mean, who marries a vampire?" Emmett joked. Rosalie snorted, giving him a shove from aside, "eh…you?"

"so..this is the big secret? You're not human and your mystery kind marries vampires?"  
Emmett asked again a little more serious than before. Scarlett raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"We're just getting to the big secret actually. Melody?" she said I nodded, swallowing.

My dad, brushed my shoulder and started explaining even more, " Adam told me that vampires and pitifully incapable of conceiving children, am I correct?" he started. Rosalie's face fell immediately and I knew Esmé was having difficulties too. they all nodded though, quite sad. It was one of the major things that was taken away from them by becoming like this.  
"Fiorenza's kind was able to conceive. The evidence is standing right here as you can see. We never thought that Nate, Skye and Scar were able to have children at all except form adopting. But adopting a human baby didn't fit in."

While Charlie spoke, Scarlett had gone outside and I heard her coming back in again, just like everyone else did.  
"After Scarlett and I married, we went on a honeymoon. I'd promised her to try to make love to her, which worked without having her extremely harmed. We were astonished and shocked to find out she was pregnant only a month later." Adam added to Charlie's words.  
"She was really pregnant?" Rosalie whispered longingly watching intently as Adam nodded, a smile curving his lips.  
'He never told me that story…how interesting..'

"Three months later our son was born. That was four years ago. His species is of the same kind as Scarlett's is, only my vampiric genes have been put in as an extra." Adam explained further, his grin widening as he told them about his son. I was still nervous as hell upon telling them about my sons.  
"Nathan and Layla were just as able to get a child, just like Skye and Chris were. Faith and Alana are three and two years old. They all gave me five grandchildren." Charlie said, smirking.

"It's so fascinating!" Jasper exclaimed, grinning widely while the others agreed highly with him.  
Then Scarlett came back into the room and behind her were three young teenagers. When Denim caught me in sight he grinned, raced alongside his mother and ran up me, practically jumping me to the ground. I laughed loudly as I pulled him into a hug.

"Hey Denny!" I said, stealing his red baseball cap and ruffling through his dark curls. He shook his head, taking back his cap from my hands.  
"Melo, stop being jealous of my ultimate toughness. I'm just cool. Don't ruin it." he replied in that low boyish voice.  
"Alright maestro, get out of the way! A gentleman let's a lady go first." Alana said grinning and pulling me into a hug also.  
"didn't your dad taught you that, Den? Mine did." Faith stated, feeling completely awesome.  
"Faith you're not a boy…" Alana remarked, dryly. Faith rolled her eyes, making me giggle.  
"Guys, quit it – Denim just learns to much from his Uncle Nate." I said , patting the boy's back.  
"huh? But that's my dad! He taught me how to be a perfect gentleman!"  
"Faith you're not a gu-huy!"

"Anyway…"Scarlett interrupted our banter and we immediately shut up. during our weird reuniting, the Cullens had been watching us completely amazed. And that was the first time I dared to look at Edward.  
He was fixated on my cousins, his eyes flashing from one to the other and then back at me. When he caught me staring, he held my gaze, a thousand emotions swimming there in his eyes. I swallowed thickly, inhaling a deep breath.

"Kids, haven't we taught you to introduce yourselves to new people?" Adam chuckled, shaking his head and still standing next to Carlisle, who was just as fascinated as Jasper was.  
We heard a choir of 'Oh right!' before they stepped forward.  
"I'm Denim Joshua Bright and I'm thirteen. Oh! And I really like that silver Volvo outside! That's so awesome! Whose –  
"Denim…" Scarlett chastised him, as he rattled through about Edward's car. I saw Edward chuckle, a twinkle in his eye as he looked at my nephew.  
"Oh, sorry Mom." He said before fixating his golden eyes on the Cullens again," You can call me Den if you like."

"Wait a minute!" Emmett yelled, a little too loud for my liking, "Adam said he was four! He just said he's thirteen!"  
"That's correct – just like Scarlett, denim grows very fast. The pregnancy is also shorter, which we think is caused by the vampire genes of Adam in this case." My dad said, mustache up high as he smiled. He was so proud of his grandchildren, something he'd never admit so hugely.  
The Cullens all nodded and Edward stole a quick glance at me again, eyes deadly curious.  
"Right, Den it's our turn!" Faith bashed, shoving her nephew aside and earning a hand through her light brown hair.  
"I'm Faith Anna Swan and I'm twelve. I really love fashion and shoes!" she chanted as I saw Alice's eyes glimmer. I knew what was happening in that mind without having to read it.  
"And I'm Alana Lena Johnson and I'm eleven!" Alana said from next to Faith.

The vampire family was honestly intrigued by the partly vampire children. they just weren't aware of the fact they were more vampire than just partly. But as Scarlett and Adam wished, we all would keep that a secret for as long as possible.  
I waited impatiently as Esmé, Alice and Rose started to talk with my two nieces about their hobbies and the boys were busy with discussing sport results with Denim. It was Edward though, who broke the comfortable atmosphere.

"Adam what has to happen to your kind to become pregnant?" he asked, whispering but staring hard at me, his eyes blazing. I didn't dare to look away this time, guilt, pain and secrets laid open in my own eyes.  
Adam cleared his throat while Scarlett gave me a long look from aside, which I saw form the corner of my eye.  
"Just like humans – unsafe sex. Is there a reason for your question Edward?" Adam answered, slyly asking his last question, earning a short, but sharp glare from me.  
Edward was still fixated on me, his pupils dilating when he heard it. it was exactly what we'd done, giving him reason enough to get suspicious.

_'…there are only three….but Charlie said?'_ "Where are the other two?" Rosalie suddenly noted, taking away her attention from Alana and looking at my father.  
"You said you had five grandchildren. There are three here…" Rose went further. I felt my hands start to sweat as my breathing picked up.  
I was damn scared.

The room went silent waiting for an answer, expecting one, but probably not the one they were going to get.  
"We haven't yet explained you, that after Skye, Layla and myself got our children, we exchanged our mostly human life for that of our partner…it stopped us from having more children." Scarlett said, squeezing my hand while I restrained myself that I wouldn't break hers.  
"…so that only leaves.." Jasper mused, before settling his eyes on me, like all the others did. I swallowed thickly when I heart glass drop and shatter.

I faced its source, the man who'd dropped it in shock, the man who was staring at me wide eyed, unable to control his breathing.  
I couldn't hold it any longer, laying my hand across from my mouth and feeling the warm salty tears droop down my cheek as I stared back at Edward.

"It's Melody…" Carlisle murmured also very surprised by this. But he didn't knew whom their father was.

"Scar? Can you.." I whispered, my voice breaking at the end as she was already out of the door to get my twin.

"Hey Edward? are you alright? you don't have to freak because your BFF got pregnant…she's a teenager with hormones you know." Rosalie remarked, pushing against Edward's unmoving shoulder.  
"What's his problem?" Emmett said softly while Edward was still frozen, staring at me, first my face, then my stomach where once had sat two babies.

"I…I'm s-so sorry.." I choked, feeling a sob leaving my throat when the front door was being closed again. two fast beating hearts were heard. two sets of lungs that breathed steadily. Two little feet that dribbled over the wooden flooring in the hall as Scarlett took their jackets off.

I turned around, feeling my heart leap and yearn to feel their small arms around my neck, to smell their mild baby essence coming of the soft skin.

Scarlett re-entered, holding Blaze to her chest ,since he obviously wasn't able to walk yet, hiding his head behind her hair. The air in the room prickled with emotions, astonishment, curiosity and everything seemed to happen in slow-motion.  
Until a little, black haired toddler toppled inside, wobbling on his feet. when he caught me in sight a wide toothy grin covered his chubby face.

"Mommy! Mommy! Ravy walk!" he exclaimed in a high pitched voice. I broke then, my legs giving out from underneath me, dropping to the floor just in time to catch him in my arms, kissing his red cheek. I felt so relieved to have him in my arms again, especially when I saw he'd grown so much. He'd learned to walk while I was away.

"Dude!...just..DUDE!" Emmett exclaimed staring at the toddler in my arms.  
"I never thought this was possible…" Carlisle breathed in disbelief and wonder.

But yet no sign from Edward, which worried me.

I looked up to see Charlie standing there with Blaze, who was still hiding his face, but now in his grandfather's neck. I picked up Raven, settling him on my left arm and stood upright.  
My dad brushed through Blaze's bronze hair, waking him, "Hey whipster, look who's here?"

Lazily, rubbing his eyes with his right arm, Blaze turned his head. When he sensed it was me, he was suddenly wide awake, reaching his arms towards me, making a whimpering wanting sound. Blaze wasn't much of a talker. I smiled at him, stretching my right arm so Charlie could hand him over.  
And there I stood, me being a fifteen-year old mother, holding her twin sons in both her arms, facing a dumbstruck family.  
"Momma." Blaze uttered quietly, biting his lower lips as his soft brown eyes stared at me. they weren't golden yet, but getting lighter each day.

All eyes focused on Blaze then and a choir of audible gasps was heard.

"Oh good Lord, he…they – " Esmé stuttered.  
"They look exactly like…" Rosalie whispered.  
"It's practically a clone!" Jasper chuckled warily.

"Aw shit Edward! losing your virginity without telling me!? That hurts my bro feelings dude!" Emmett acted as if to be really hurt, breaking the ice a little as some of us chuckled at his joke.

I took a deep breath, making a brave move by stepping towards Edward then, who still hadn't said anything yet.  
"Edward I'm sorry. I could've told you but you were gone! I didn't know what to do so I fled! And if I'd only known this was possible I would've told you! It's just that I– " I started, but stopped when a small smile curved at the corners of his lips, getting wider each second.

"They're mine? right?" he asked, whispering and taking a step closer as everyone surrounding us watched out reunion. I nodded, biting my lower lip.  
Edward let out a shaky laugh, "They look so much like me…but also like you. A lot. Wow…this is so…" He mused in that velvety voice. That voice that used to calm me after a long day at school.  
"I understand. I mean, it takes time to get used to…i-if that's what you want. To get used to them, I mean." I stammered unsure of what his reaction might be. Edward chuckled though, much to my relief.  
"why do you even ask?" he said, reaching forward with his hand and brushing away a lost tear from my cheek, like he'd done before in Alice's bedroom when we talked.

"Wait here! "rose interrupted out bubble, making us turn our heads toward her as Raven and Blaze lay silently against both my shoulders, watching what happened surrounding them.  
"Melody you ravaged Edward!? That's seriously the last thing I expected! No wonder you like that movie friends with benefits so much!" She giggled, finding it hard to believe Edward and I had shared much more than just our close friendship. We all chuckled.  
"Well, it was more the other way around I think…." I flinched, Edward doing the same knowing well enough what I meant, "but we can explain that story later. When there aren't any listening kids in here…" I suggested, peeking at my cousins.

"What? It's not like we haven't had biology or something." Denim argued, shrugging

We all laughed at his comment, hearing Raven giggle along with us, silencing everyone at once again. I faced Edward, shyly suddenly.  
"Do you..want to hold them? I mean they're yours too you know.." I questioned. I didn't take more than a second for him to nod fiercely, his hair bouncing on the top of his head from the force. I smiled brightly, looking at Raven.  
"Raz, mommy's going to hand you to Edward now. Is that okay? Edward's really not scary." I coed to him, hearing Emmett's faint comment on how scary Edward could be without clothes on. I decided not the reply on that.  
Raven nodded, reaching out his arms for Edward, who had this twinkle in his eyes again, the same as when Denim mentioned his car earlier.  
While Edward held his first born son, which was a true sight to behold for my entire life, I explained more about him.

"So, this is Raven Charles Zachary. He's the oldest of the two. I chose Raven because of his dark hair and pale skin. Charles comes from my dad and my brother who carries the same middle name. And Zachary is from Adam, as an oath. He saved my life quite a lot of times." I said, extremely proud at that moment, seeing my son with his father.  
Edward smiled, ruffling Raven's, now longer, hair, " I love it. it suits him."  
Then he wanted to hold Blaze, so we exchanged babies, as funny as it sounded, as I again gave description of how I came upon their names.

"And this is Blaze Masen Drake. I chose Blaze because of his hair. It's the same color as yours is. And it's just as wild. Masen is obviously from you. I wanted something from you there just in case. And Drake descents form my grandfather – Draco Swan. We were very close when I was much younger before he died."

"Man, this is so freaky – it's like Edward but then much smaller cuter and less brooding." Rosalie said, a little mean about the brooding thing Edward had done for over the past eighty years. He ignored her this time though.  
"Raven and Blaze…sounds great together. But tell me – what are their last names?" Edward asked, curiously and a little anxious somehow. I shrugged.

"Well that depends on you." I whispered, feeling Raven play with my hair.  
Edward raised his eyebrows before smiling wickedly, glee filing his eyes, his soul.

"Cullen. Most definitely Cullen."


	51. Epilogue

**A/N: alrighty! so this is it! well for this part, that is ;) it's the epilogue and I hope you like it. Also like to know what you think of the whole story and such! if you want, I'll soon start with part three, equal to eclipse, Thunder Strikes. **

**Well, I'll wait for your reviews! ^^**

* * *

It had been four months ago that I told the Cullens about my children. I'd never expected Edward to take it all so lightly, but then a again – he never ceased to amaze me.  
After he'd said that Raven and Blaze should be Cullens, we gave the rest of the vampire family the chance to meet them. Esmé kept chanting that she was a grandma now, something she'd always wanted.

When Raven and Blaze were getting tired that morning, we decided to go home – Adam Scarlett my cousins and babies to our new estate in Seattle and Charlie and myself back to the old house to keep up a charade for Bella. we'd explained the Cullens that Bella was unaware of this and that was supposed to stay that way. It was safer for her.

Right now, we were supposed to be at school. I should have bene graduated by now, just as Bella and the Cullens should.  
But the last fewer months events never gave me the chance to finish school.

Charlie wasn't happy about that, just like he hated the fact that Edward and I were in contact again and taking care of our sons. Every day, at the crack of dawn, we would drive to Seattle and cuddle with the twin. The boys had to get used to Edward as their father but that went great from the beginning. It was like they felt some kind of connection it him.  
The first few times were tense though, and even now it was still a bit awkward.  
My brothers kind of hated Edward. Especially Nathan, who kept staring daggers at Edward all the time. Edward brushed it off, explaining me it was more than normal for them to do that – they only wanted to protect me.

It was a good thing though, Charlie didn't knew about our relationship status. I think he'd try to kill us in whatever if he would only see Edward kissing my cheek.  
Yeah, after our reunion that night in Alice's room, we kissed a count of two times after but nothing too major. It got me wondering what exactly our relationship now was.

"Mommy! Can you pway pinano too?"

I was snapped back to the present, staring down from where I sat on the couch in the living room, absentmindedly watching Raven and Blaze play with their dino cuddle toys.  
I smiled, reaching out my arms to pick up the now crawling Blaze from the carpet. Raven was still occupied with the cuddle toys, deciding which one was going to beat the other in a running game.  
"Hey buddy! Can you say that again please?" I said, settling him in my lap as he stared at me, eyes brightly golden now, much to Edward's liking.  
"Can you pway pinano?" Blaze repeated, a small frown forming between his big baby eyes. I giggled because of his word.  
"Blaze, sweetie, it's a piano. Can you say that?"  
Blaze seemed to think very hard, biting his lower lip, a bad habit he'd taken over from me.  
"Pinano?"  
"Pi-a-no." I tried again, hoping he'd catch it. I wouldn't press him though – he was technically a few months old…  
"Pi..aaa…no!" he exclaimed delighted, swaying his arms around. I applauded for him as he said it right.  
I hugged him and he asked me again if I could play the piano, dragging out the last word so he would say it right again.  
"Yes, I can. Daddy can too." I told him, just when Edward re-entered the living room, holding three cookies in his hands, smiling. the first time they said 'Daddy' left Edward in an euphoric state. I needed to literally set him down on a chair to calm down.  
"Daddy too?" Raven exclaimed form the ground, having clearly heard our conversation and staring up at Edward.  
"Yep! Daddy is a really good piano player. Much better than your mommy!" Edward said, winking at me and handing Raven one of the cookies. He gave our oldest a ruffle through his wild, dark hair and came to us. Edward sat down next to me on the couch and Blaze crawled away from me to Edward's lap instead, leaning against his chest. Edward handed him a cookie as well, leaving the last one in his hands for me.  
It was still unbelievable to me that we were sitting here – our little family. So much had changed in so little time… Good thing everything turned out just right.  
Except for one thing that kept bothering me. And it had been bothering for quite some time.

"Edward?" I whispered, taking a bite from the fresh choco-chip cookie. Edward's head turned to me expectantly, Blaze having trapped his father's pinky in his tiny hand.  
"I was wondering…you know…what are we?" I was stammering weirdly, not finding the right words. It had sounded much better in my head.  
Edward chuckled lowly, an amusing sound.

"Oh Melody, Melody, what to do with you?" he sighed dramatically, smiling. he took my hand in his free one and squeezed softly without breaking any bones.  
"I could say friends but that's not how I feel…" he started, making my heart panic a little. He heard it and gazed into my light caramel eyes.  
He gave me a kiss then, a lovely peck on the lips.  
"I could pronounce us as lovers…but your much more than that…"  
Another kiss touched my lips, making my cheeks burn.  
"so if you don't mind…I'd like to call you my girlfriend." He finished, rewarding me with another one of his soft kisses. I giggled against his lips.  
"If you're my boyfriend that is." I replied playfully, grinning.

"Wouldn't want you in any other way…for now." he said back, confusing me slightly. He kissed away the frown on my forehead, brushing his lips against the skin there.  
"I know you're jealous about our last names." He hinted, pointing at himself and the two wild haired vampire babies. I blushed. I'd dreamed something vaguely about that…  
"How can you know?" I questioned, whispering, kissing him softly this time. he grinned evilly.  
"You shouldn't talk so much in our sleep, baby. You sometimes tell me things you wouldn't want me to hear."  
I gasped, embarrassed. That son of a bitch!  
"You've been creeping my bedroom again!?" I hissed, making him laugh even more.  
"It's the only way to keep you at peace in your sleep, my love. But don't worry though, " he said, getting back to my apparent jealousy of the last names.  
"Someday, you'll be a Cullen too. I'll promise you that Miss Swan."

I blushed a deeper red, feeling Edward's lips on mine once more before he got up, taking Blaze along with him and starting to play with his boys.  
His words got me a little flustered, but in some way it felt like he was right.

Our relationship had only just officially started, but I knew, like this we were able to fight everything off.  
It didn't matter to me if they came to get me. I would have a family who would fight for our love, our lives. And yes, the danger hadn't subsided yet – the Volturi, Victoria and the mysteries that contained myself. But what had happened while Edward was gone, had made me so much stronger, made a fighter of me.

Between everything we'd been through, I was able to see the light in the darkest Starless Sky, keeping myself getting through.


End file.
